TMNT - Paths Collide
by V.S.H.L
Summary: Shredder has grown ever more powerful, and Splinter and the Turtles are starting to fear they might not win the raging war. However, a find and a friendship may have changed the course of a war, as it is a find that seemed impossible. Female ninja turtles. Now, with the war becoming ever fiercer alliances will be made, the impossible will become possible, and paths will collide.
1. Chapter 1 - An Unexpected Find

New York city was bustling as usual, the people who inhabited the city still busy in the midnight hours. However, unlike the day, it wasn't as crowded and car-packed. Instead it was quite serene, peaceful almost, at the small bustle that was so small compared to the days unruly and loud ways. However, in the serene and calmness that had spread across the city, not everything was right. And it was all because of mutants. People, animals, or even objects that had become mutated by the infamous Mutagen that now possessed abilities unknown before and there entire demeanor changed from the molecular fusion. They rampaged the city, causing damage beyond what was thought possible by a single being.

Mutants rampaged the city at night, but there was always someone who could help. Usually it would be a team of four mutants that knew the city well and tried their best to keep it safe from harm. But they weren't perfect, and they had their problems as well. They couldn't save the city all the time, and when that arose there was no one there to help, no one there to keep the city safe from harm . . . until a few measly weeks ago. No one knew how or why, but there was suddenly a lone wolf helping to protect the city from harm, helping to stop the mutants from their rampages across New York city. This night was one of many in which the supposed lone wolf came out.

It stood still on the rooftop of a building, looking around and surveying the area that surrounded it. It was concealed in a shawl, one that perfectly fit it's demeanor so that it's features were hidden well. It looked around once more before spotting its prey. There, running through the streets, was a mutant that was never fun or friendly. It was shadowed out because of the unresponsive street lights, but by the size of the creature, the figure could tell which mutant it was. This one despised and wanted to kill anything that moved, even if it was a scrap of paper. The figure needed to be careful, as this one would attack it if given the rightful moment. The figure sighed, realizing the four mutants it had rarely seen were nowhere in sight.

Quickly, without much energy, but with much hesitation, the figure jumped down into a nearby alleyway and watched, still hidden in the shadows, the creatures slow movements. The mutant looked confused and baffled, as if whatever it had been chasing had suddenly disappeared without a trace of where it had scampered off to. It looked a little depleted, but the sudden noise of a trash can being hit sent it spiraling to look towards where the figure hid. The shadow gasped and crept back into the shadows, trying its best to keep itself concealed from the mutants prying eyes. However, the creature had heard and now seen something move and slink away. It roared, it's mutagen green eyes flashing in disdain as it raced towards the alleyway.

The figure gasped before climbing onto the fire escape, quickly wrapping the shawl around its frame and hiding in the hanging ladder and landings. The mutant entered the alley a moment later, roaring as it warned whoever was in there that it was angry, that it wasn't friendly. It stopped short once it saw that there was nothing in there but still objects that barely moved at all. It growled and huffed. Something had come in here. Something had gotten away from it before it entered the alleyway! THAT SOMETHING HAD TO STILL BE IN HERE! It roared and cried, confused and angry at its misfortune. It sniffed the air, but the mutant was still unable to detect anything.

The figure sat quietly in the fire escape, unmoving and unyielding to the fact that it was alive. It shrunk down when the creature roared again, the shadow sensing that at any second the monster below would go berserk. It had to stop it before the mutant got the chance to do so. Reaching onto its back it pulled a thin, yet sharp blade. It glinted eerily for a moment, but the beast seemed unaware of the new speck of light. Instead it searched inside of the vacant garbage bins and trash cans that were strewn about. The figure was thankful. but it didn't spare the slightest moment. It stood up quietly and crouched on the railing of the escape, readying itself to scare the beast or, if need be, to end it.

Before the shadow got a chance another figure, cloaked as well, swooped down from its perch below and landed perfectly fine on the ground. The creature roared in sudden surprise at the new thing, but it quickly regained cover and balance. Immediately the mutant lunged, ready to strike down the new person where they stood. However, with the beasts massive weight and slow movements, the second figure jumped out of the way in time, back-flipping through the air and landing safely behind the creature. The first figure was in shock, but watched carefully as the second figure took a strange object out and blew into it. Immediately a strong sound resonated through the area, identifying the object as a mere whistle . . . a whistle that scared the light of day out of the creature.

The mutant reared back suddenly, a terrifying scream-like howl resonating from its throat, before it turned tail and ran. It climbed on top of the fire escape, the first figure barely missing its giant, clawed paws, before the mutant took to the rooftops and scampered away like a frightened puppy. The first figure was in utter shock and annoyance at the same time. Whoever this person was it had taken its opportunity to help the city. The first figure felt it was their duty to help this city, therefore helping their family as well. It wanted to growl or scream or do SOMETHING, but nothing come out, the figure's voice refusing to work properly or even at all.

The second figure was looking around, trying to see if there was anything that was a threat still in the area. When it realized there wasn't, the second figure jumped upwards and started back up towards the rooftops. The first figure followed in pursuit, keeping a safe distance between it and whoever this other creature was so as not to alert it. However, though the first figure was silent and definitely stealthy, the second figure knew that something was following it. Though whatever it was, they didn't know. Instead, the second figure ran faster.

For a long time this pace was kept up. The second figure would speed up and the first one, following close behind, would stay close, but not close enough to be harmed or noticed. Though, from knowledge, it was already found out. Finally, after almost an hour of Cat and Mouse, the game ended. The second figure wasn't paying attention, looking back to see where the thing that was chasing it was at. Suddenly, without warning, it slipped, falling off the building as there was no more rooftop to run on. The first figure, realizing what happened, tried to stop, but only managed to careen into the other figure, sending both shadows toppling to the ground.

The fall was dangerous and unpleasant, especially with the ending. Both figures hit the ground HARD, and neither one of them could find the strength to get back up. The first figure groaned in distress and grumbled a few words in another language before sitting up, but not even letting the thought of standing cross its mind. It was in too much pain and it was in too much of a daze to do so, so sitting on the ground was the best option. Another groan, one of utter pain, echoed through the alleyway in which the two shadows had landed in. The first figure looked to its right where, lying at the end of the alley, near the dead-end brick wall, was the second figure that it had been chasing for quite some time.

"What . . . ow . . . what the heck were you doing c-chasing me?" The second figure asked, it's voice male. It clutched its right arm, the smallest droplets of blood falling to the ground and landing in an ever growing puddle. The first figure sighed, realizing the second figure, male from the voice, had gotten injured on the way down. Hopefully not too badly.

"Trying to figure out who you are. Chasing probably wasn't the best thing, huh?" The first figure asked, the voice a soft, creamy female's. The male figure looked up at the cloaked female and shook his head, groaning at the steadily growing pain in his right arm. Instantly, recognizing the fact that the mysterious male was injured, the female ran over with what little strength she had and helped him up. However, upon touching his skin, she nearly froze where she was sitting. His skin, when seen in the light was . . . green. Almost a leaf green color. She helped him to sit up and quickly grabbed her kit out, not wanting to waste time or to let her mind linger on his skin color.

Finally, though, the thought grew too great for her, and she HAD to ask. She looked at the male, whom said was leaning against the wall, eyes shut as he tried to level the pain with other thoughts. She sighed before, finally, letting her voice work once more. "Hey, uh, can I ask a question?" She asked, watching as the figure opened his eyes and nodded, watching her as she did to him. She continued. "Who are you?"

The figure looked a little surprised for a few minutes before sighing and sitting up. His hand reached up and grabbed the hood of the cloak, tugging on it as if asking if she wanted to see what he looked like. The female nodded, noting that he wasn't very much of a talker. The male nodded and, with hesitation, drew the cloak off of him. The female stopped bandaging mid-way, staring at the sight before her. It wasn't a person, no, it was an animal. A MUTANT animal.

It was a male mutant turtle with stormy blue eyes and a royal blue mask, a cloak hanging loosely from his neck. The shadowed out female couldn't believe her eyes, and the royal blue masked turtle wouldn't believe his own when she revealed herself.


	2. Chapter 2 - Identities Revealed

The female figure was in absolute shock. Right in front of her was a male terrapin with stormy blue eyes and, across his eyes, was a royal blue mask. He had a belt wrapped and secured around his waist, along with two sword straps that wrapped around his shoulder and shell, both sewn firmly to the belt. He had two swords, from the hilt and shape, Katanas, in their holders that were attached to the straps. He wore elbow pads and knee pads and wore bandaging on his three fingers on both hands, across the palms of his hands and his wrists, and on his feet. From height he was about as tall as she was, 6"1 if she was correct with measurements.

The female figure sat there, but she had resumed bandaging his arm up. However, she was in total shock and disbelief. Hell, she was like that so much that she didn't even hear the male terrapin talk to her suddenly. She snapped her head upwards and saw his stormy blue eyes looking at her with this sincere look of worriment and wonder. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her free hand, realizing that she had been zoning out for quite some time. She looked at him and blinked, not even realizing he had been trying to tell her something . . . again.

"S-sorry! What did you say?" The female figure asked, finally truly looking at the royal blue masked terrapin. The mutant sighed and shook his head with a teasing smirk, one that was friendly AND threatening. He looked at her and tried again, this time the female figure finally hearing him. "Can you take your cloak off before I introduce myself?" He asked, pointing towards his cloak as he said it. The female figure stiffened. Never, not once, had anyone but her family seen what she looked like, what she WAS. But, this mutant had trusted her enough to show her what he looked like. Now, it was her turn to return the act.

The female figure, though reluctantly, reached up and grabbed the rim of the hood she was wearing. She breathed deeply and, without letting her fears and hesitation get to her, she threw the hoodie aside. Now it was the male terrapins turn to be surprised. Not only was he not expecting her to actually take her hood off, but he also wasn't suspecting what she was going to like . . . or what she WAS. She wasn't human, no, she was a . . . a FEMALE Diamondback River Turtle. A MUTANT FEMALE Diamondback River Turtle. That's what was so surprising. She was the same species as he was.

She wore a turquoise mask that curved upwards at the gap between her eyes and that circled back around towards the back of her head. Her plastron and shell followed the curves and the figure of her female body. She had a long, turquoise braid in the back of her head that protruded from one singular spot, as there was none on the crown of her head, that swayed gently every time she moved. She had no knee or elbow pads, but there was bandaging on her fingers, the palm of hands, and her feet. There was a belt tied securely around her waist with a Tanto, a Japanese knife, tucked securely in its holder. She wore a turquoise scarf around her neck, one she kept nudging her nose into. She had shimmering auburn eyes that looked beautiful, despite the fact she wasn't exactly human. Everything about her was breathtaking, but what topped it all off was that she was a TURTLE.

The royal blue masked terrapin was in total shock, but he regained composure when he realized she was looking at him with a worried and confused expression. He shook his head a few times and looked back up at her, only to see the exact same thing. He wasn't dreaming it. He wasn't dreaming about the fact that she was a mutant female Diamondback River Turtle. He wasn't dreaming it because it was actually REAL. It wasn't fake, and he could certainly tell when she continued to wrap his arm up, finishing it off and finally tying it to keep the bandaging secure. It was only then that he shook his head and came out of his shock.

"I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Leo for short. What's your name?" Leo asked, retracting his hand and rubbing the bandaging, as if it was him thinking about something. The turquoise masked female terrapin looked at him and blushed lightly, completely forgetting that he was talking. Somehow, she had heard him, and she quickly regained composure.

"I'm Venus. Venus Saatchi. N-nice to meet you." Venus said, holding her hand out to Leo's. Leo, not wanting to be rude and figuring she wouldn't harm him, took her hand in his. They shook hands, symbolizing that they knew the other and that there was no true hostility between the two. However, once their hands were removed from the others, neither one of them could move or speak. It was almost as if time slowed, especially with the awkward silence lingering in the tense air. Neither one of the terrapins had seen a mutant that had been the opposite gender, and it was surprising to finally see someone that wasn't the exact same gender as they were.

Finally, after an eternity of silence that seemed to go on forever, Leo stood up, wary of his bandaged arm. He extended a hand, his good one, to Venus, and she accepted, letting him help her to her feet. The two were perfectly still and quiet for a few seconds, just like they had been sitting. Leo suddenly remembered why he had stood up and, after giving Venus the "give me a moment" movement, he reached into a pocket sewn onto his belt. Venus leaned in closer, her curiosity getting the best of her, when Leo suddenly turned back around. She tensed and stood up straight, giving Leo an embarrassed smile when he looked confusingly at her. He shrugged it off and, instead, held something out to her. Venus was surprised, but she took it anyway. It was a folded up piece of paper, but she was scared to open it fore some weird reason.

"It's a map of New York City." Leo explained, gesturing for Venus to open up the parchment. She opened it carefully, noticing its faded edges and tattered and bused form. However, when she opened the map, everything seemed beautiful. It was an entire map of New York City, one that specified just about everything and everywhere. It even mentioned a few people who were on the good side, fighting to keep the mutants in the city from going completely rampant. Venus smiled, inwardly touched by the small offer. She nodded her thanks and looked at the map again. But suddenly, it hit her . . . how did Leo know she needed, or better yet wanted, a map?

Venus turned her head to him as he chuckled, his body jolting slightly. Leo looked at her calmly once he was done, realizing Venus looked COMPLETELY confused. He held back another rampage of chuckles and, instead, gestured towards the fire escape. Venus didn't understand, so Leo explained. "You weren't very quiet on the fire escape. When you moved from the floor to the railing you could hear a tiny creak come from it. When I looked I saw a figure sitting there, looking at the mutant I had tracked down."

Venus, having completely forgotten about the mutant situation and her hostility, blushed in embarrassment at her horrible stealthiness. If she had noticed sooner what she had done, then she would've probably headed home, head hanging low in despair at her skills that needed tuning up. Instead she blushed, giggling quietly and silently cursing herself for her concentration during that time. She had felt like someone had been watching her, but she had had no clue as to who or what had been. So, she'd ignored it . . . not the best thing to do.

"It can help you keep track of where you find any mutants and such as." Leo explained, pointing to where he and Venus had just recently encountered that one mutant. Venus smiled and nodded her head, understanding the full intentions of how Leo was helping her. She was gracious and thankful, as what she had been using as a map was something that wasn't exactly up-to-date with some of the cities new attributes. Venus looked up at Leo with a genuine, warm smile of gratitude. Leo blushed before sighing and nodding, telling Venus that he was happy she liked it.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay and chat Leo, I do need to get going." Venus stated suddenly, a hint of sadness lingering in her voice. Leo looked at her and nodded, knowing fully well that he needed to head home as well. As much as he wanted to visit with a new "unsure friend", he also had obligations back where he lived. Leo and Venus, after a brief goodbye, said their farewells.

Once Venus had said goodbye she put the hood of the cloak back on her head and jumped onto the fire escape. She quickly scaled it, bounding onto the small rim of the rooftop. She looked back down and saw Leo, now fully concealed in the cloak that adorned him, watching her and waving goodbye. Though Leo couldn't see it with Venus's hood on, the turquoise masked female terrapin smiled and waved farewell as well. With that she took to the rooftops, running across them with ease on her way home.

Leo watched her until she disappeared above the rooftops. He could hear the soft padding of her bandaged feet before there was just him and the lingering silence that had rushed forth to claim position of all the noise. Leo sighed, wondering if he would ever see Venus again. It was intriguing that the lone wolf that helped defend New York was a female mutant Diamondback River Turtle, whom he had stumbled upon because of a mutant rampaging in an alleyway. Leo sighed, knowing that you could meet the most intriguing people in the weirdest ways possible.

With that final thought swirling around in Leo's head he dashed into the empty street. There was no one there, as they were all probably asleep besides the few midnight people who were paranoid of going out after dark. He quickly reached the Man-Hole cover that led into the sewers and, quickly so as not to cause suspicion, slunk into the underground passages of New York City. Leo needed a break and, more importantly, he needed to think about this encounter with Venus, especially with so many other things bouncing around in his battered brain.

What neither of the two terrapins realized however, was that they weren't the only ones who had found out who the Lone Wolf was. As Venus dashed home and Leo snuck safely into the sewers, another person, a scout of the enemy, had watched the entire encounter between Leonardo and this supposed Venus character. Now, with a new discovery and a newfound luck, the scout smiled evilly into the night before returning to the building where his brooding master resided in.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Lair

Leo walked slowly and silently through the main tunnel, having entered the subway tunnel from the sewers. His stormy blue eyes were aimed towards the ground as he pondered what had just happened not even thirty minutes ago. He still couldn't get the memory of meeting Venus out of his head. It was impossible to, as he had never met a female Diamondback River Turtle that was a teenage mutant, such as he and his brothers were. It was astonishing to him, and he couldn't believe the thought, that the memory was real. But deep down Leo knew it was because she had touched his arm, she had interacted with him in a way that was nowhere near being an actual, sleep-induced dream. It just wasn't possible.

He sighed and looked towards the ceiling, wondering what he should do at the moment. However, he couldn't think of anything, not a single thought besides his encounter with Venus as he walked the last stretch home. He wasn't exactly eager to be home, but at the same time he was, as it was always nice when family was nearby and when you could see them. He gave a half-hearted smile to the murky air of the old subway tunnel before seeing the entrance to The Lair. It was nothing more than a machine that usually wouldn't let you pass without a ticket and whatnot, but this subway station was old and had been abandoned long ago to the point that the machines barely worked anymore.

Leo, barely paying attention to the unattended machinery, hopped over it. There was nothing much going on in The Lair, besides Leo's brothers playing games and Raph, his hot-headed brother with a red mask, constantly glaring at their youngest brother, Mikey, the prankster brother with an orange mask. Mikey would only giggle and turn back to the game before, once Raph was distracted again, he would try to prank him once more, but being caught milliseconds before the plan unfolded. Donnie just sat on the couch, shaking his head with a smile at some points as he read a book he had probably read more than enough times.

Leo gave a weary smile before turning towards the Dojo. Master Splinter would be meditating at the moment, calming his mind while he tuned out his three loud sons. Leo sighed and walked toward the Dojo, quietly opening the door so his brothers wouldn't hear him, or Splinter, for that matter. He closed the sliding door and quietly took a few steps in. And there, Leo knowing Master Splinter was, was the original Hamato Yoshi, sitting on his knees with his hands in his lap, meditating and relaxing. Leo, not wanting to disturb him, quietly tip-toed over to where his Katanas would be placed on the wall. He removed them from their sheaths and placed them there before turning towards the door to leave.

"Leonardo."

The royal blue masked ninja stopped short and sighed, turning towards his teacher/father. Master Splinter was standing now and looking directly at the eldest brother, his face blank as he held his cane in hand. Leo faced him and walked forward, stopping a few paces away from Splinter, refusing to look away as he stared into Splinter's eyes. Splinter looked down at his son, as he stood a few inches taller, searching Leonardo's face for anything that would tell him what his son had seen that night. Leo tensed as Splinter studied him, something his father always did when he and his brothers came back from their day and night patrols.

Leo finally broke in his father's stare, unable to hold back the truth of what was bothering him any longer. Splinter calmed his gaze at this and watched his son, listening to him for anything Leo might say. "Look, Sensei, I have something I need to tell you . . . something new." Leo confessed, watching Splinter's expression for any type of recoil or interest. Splinter only looked at his son and nodded, a signal for him to continue and explain. Leo hesitated. "I . . . I don't exactly want the guys to know, in case they're eavesdropping."

"My son, maybe this is something they could help you with, if needed." Splinter suggested, thinking that what Leo had seen or done was something that needed help with. Leo immediately shook his head vigorously, Splinter raising his eyebrow at the sudden explanation from his eldest.

"No, no! It's nothing like that Sensei! It's something, or someone, I met earlier. I wanted some advice from you." Leo confessed. Splinter nodded before motioning for his room connected to the Dojo. Leo nodded and followed, the door closing silently when both had entered.

Outside the closed door of the Dojo Raph, Donnie and Mikey listened quietly. Once they realized that they had been discovered, and after hearing the soft close of the door of Splinter's room, the three brothers sighed in defeat. Leo had mentioned he'd met someone, which had immediately sparked curiosity in the brothers' mind. It wasn't everyday they, or one of them, met someone new.

"Who do ya' think Leo met?" Mikey asked excitedly as the brothers made their way back over to the paused game and bookmarked book. Donnie shrugged. He hadn't been too interested, as he had his own secrets that he didn't want his brothers to know, but his secrets had never concerned meeting anyone secret. Even the purple masked ninja had to admit, he was interested in this person. However, he dismissed it, knowing Leo wouldn't say much on the subject if it was ever brought up. He sat down quietly and reopened his book, quickly finding where he left off and reading. Raph and Mikey, on the other hand, went back to their game, chatting quietly about what Leo was keeping secret from his night's adventures.

For about a whole hour Donnie read his book while Raph and Mikey took turns or battled or even played multiplayer on the TV. For that same hour there was no word from Splinter or Leo besides the occasional shuffle or sigh of supposed worriment. Finally, once the said hour had passed, the sliding door to the Dojo finally opened. The three brothers turned their attention to the Dojo and watched as Leo walked slowly out, his hand on his head as he rubbed where the bridge of his nose would be. Master Splinter closed the door behind the eldest, as there was nothing that needed to be said at the given moment.

The royal blue masked terrapin sighed and looked up, meeting the gaze of his three siblings. Immediately, Leo blushed slightly, if turtles could blush, and made his way towards his room, barely meeting his brother's gaze. He didn't want them to see his stormy blue eyes, as the truth could be unveiled from a simple glance in the eye. Leo didn't want his brothers to know his encounter with Venus, as he had his own thoughts on the female terrapin and wanted to keep those thoughts, and Leo's encounter with Venus, a secret from his brothers. There were certain reasons as to why, but he didn't want to dwell on those thoughts, especially not now.

Leo opened his door and walked into his room, closing and locking his door behind him. Splinter didn't usually like it when any of his sons locked their bedroom doors, as there had been many problems with that early on in the brothers' lives when they had first gotten their own bedrooms. However, Leo had been granted to be able to due to his nagging thoughts and needed space. For some reason Leo just couldn't get the thought of Venus out of his head, especially with what she looked like. She was just so . . . feminine. Okay, maybe that wasn't the right word, but it was better than a lot of other ones out there.

"Why? Why, why, why, why, why?" Leo repeated the question to himself, wondering if he would ever get an answer. The royal blue masked ninja sighed and unwrapped the cloak's ties from around his neck. He hung the garment in his closet on a spare hook before taking all his gear off. He set them where he usually put them before collapsing onto his bed. It was warm and soft, something Leo appreciated from both a long day and night and the fact that warmth was something that was required for him to survive. He turned off his light, hating that he had to get up to do so, before sliding under the covers and lying his head on the soft pillow. Instantly, he felt the hand of drowsiness take him over, his eyes starting to drift shut.

Leo yawned and closed his eyes. He didn't worry about his mask, as it was almost like a body part to him now. Once upon a time he had taken it off before he went to bed, but now he slept with it on for some unknown reason. The royal blue masked ninja smiled suddenly at the thought of the turquoise masked female terrapin, Venus, the one thing that refused to leave his mind. He sighed, wondering if he would ever see her again, before finally falling into a deep sleep, his recent encounter with Venus still fresh in his mind and following him into his dreams.


	4. Chapter 4 - Abandoned Tower

Venus ran as fast as she could, as fast as her legs would take her. The encounter, though it had been fifteen minutes ago, was still fresh in her mind. She just couldn't forget Leo, she couldn't get him out of her head. It was something unexpected, something she wasn't, and was, ready for. And now here she was, racing home to the old tower, trying to understand why she couldn't get the royal blue masked turtle out of her head. There was something nagging at the back of her brain, something she had wanted to feel in her heart, her mind, her body, for so long, but that she couldn't describe, no matter how hard she tried.

Soon enough she reached the outskirts of New York City, where the forest met the modern age. There, standing tall and somewhat proud in the pale moonlight was the old and abandoned Communication Tower that Venus called home. From the outskirts of the city she walked, not wanting to return home, yet knowing that she needed to. She sighed and looked up, to the top of the tower where Venus and her sisters lived. They had lived here for five years, ever since they were ten, when their mother, Mina, had brought them to America from Japan.

Venus smiled, recollecting in the last time she had seen her mother. Mina was a human in her early 40's. The human female had always wanted kids, but at the age of 22, she had discovered she was infertile and could produce no offspring of her own. With this she gave up trying to find a lover and instead focused all her attention on her clan, the Saatchi Clan. One day she had found herself lonely and upset, but she wanted nothing to do with a man and a child that was not from her. So instead, to fill the hole in her heart, she had gone to the pet store in the Osaka Province. She had hesitated at most of the animals, until she had stumbled onto four turtle eggs. They weren't hatched yet, and were at a decent price to be bought. Mina had always had a fascination to turtles, and her heart grew in love when she found out they were Diamondback River Turtles, her favorite turtle species. She immediately bought them and took them home, putting them under a heated lamp and waiting for when the four eggs would hatch. It was a week later, when Mina was filing paperwork, when the first egg started to suddenly crack open. Venus smiled, remembering the story her mother had told her when she heard that crack, when everything started to change.

 _Mina hummed quietly, smiling to herself as she completed weeks of Clan work. She had just put the final folder away, filing it safely in her desk drawers when she heard a CRACK! Immediately she ran to the small turtle bowl she had bought for the four Diamondback River Turtle eggs. She looked eagerly at the shells, but was discouraged when she found nothing. She was just turning away when she heard the noise again. She turned around and gasped when she saw one of the eggs start to crack open, the baby terrapin inside trying to find his or hers way into the big world. Mina took the egg and set it gingerly on a small hand towel, as the egg was no bigger than the palm of her hand. Mina watched as the egg started to crack more before, finally, she watched as the tip of the egg gave way and a small little nose replaced it. The tiny turtle gave a small squeak before trying to break out again. It took a good fifteen minutes before the baby Diamondback River Turtle was free of the egg._

 _Mina looked on happily as the turtle crawled out of the remains of its carrier, looking around in wonder and confusion. As the baby turtle did this Mina grabbed a napkin and some lukewarm water and cleaned the hatchling of the fluids that the egg had contained. Before long the hatchling was clean and squeaking a lot and wandering around, but never leaving the softness of the black hand towel. When Mina knew that the baby terrapin was good with walking around on its feet she gingerly picked it up with another clean napkin. Immediately the hatchling tucked into his or hers shell, retreating back to safety as the unknown picked it up. Mina chuckled, knowing the hatchling would need some getting used to her presence. However, there was only one reason why she had picked the hatchling up. Mina flipped the turtle upside down and looked at the baby terrapins plastron, checking for both any injuries and diseases and for something else that was represented on the underbelly of all turtles._

 _"You're a female Diamondback River Turtle." Mina stated as she set the turtle back down, but this time in the palm of her hand. The female hatchling peaked out of her shell and eyed Mina with her small, beady little eye, wondering if the human was a threat, or not. When the baby terrapin realized Mina was a friend she came out of her shell, looking at Mina curiously._

 _"Hi there." Mina greeted as she gingerly stroked the turtle's shell. The female hatchling squeaked at her, watching her intently. She was intrigued at such a large creature that seemed threatening, but put her in no harm. Mina watched as the female hatchling walked gently to the edge of her hand, peaking out over the edge to see just how far up she was. The young woman giggled when the baby terrapin ran back into the center of her hand, looking cautiously at the edge of her hand before back up at Mina, her eyes asking to be set down and to not be carried at such the height she was at._

 _Mina gave in to her and set the female hatchling down on the wooden desk, watching as the baby terrapin squeaked up at her before wandering around and exploring her nearby surroundings. She was curious of everything, going into every possible nook and cranny to see what lie in or beyond it. She squeaked constantly, as it was a thing of hers, and was very active when it came to avoiding Mina's hand picking her up again. She was one of the most energetic little things, and she moved fast for such a supposedly slow creature. It irked Mina that the small Diamondback could move so fast on land, especially a newborn who should've still been quite new to the whole walking thing._

 _Suddenly, another crack rang out into the air, and both Mina and the baby terrapins heads turned to the little bowl that contained the other three, unhatched turtle eggs._

Venus was thrown from her memory as she heard her name from the top of the tower. She had already been climbing the stairs skyward, as the bottom doors of the tower had been destroyed and replaced with a simple wall many years ago, before Venus and her sisters had arrived. The only way to the top of the tower now was to climb the seventy-five steps that led to the top. It wasn't too bad a climb, but it was both tiring and boring, considering the fact that it took almost twenty-five minutes to reach the top and that there was hardly a thing to do when you climbed it alone. There was a railing that overlooked the ground, but it was preferred to not have to look over it for fear of falling off, and for some people's fear of heights in general. Thankfully, Venus and her sisters were generally okay with both heights, and the long stretch of stairs. They were kunoichi's after all, so climbing, running, and training in general was part of their daily routine.

After a few more minutes of climbing Venus reached the top, breathing both a sigh of relief and stretching from the long climb. Though many would've thought it stupid to live in a tower like that, it was necessary for Venus and her families survival, especially saying that if her and her sisters were caught by humans one day, they would be considered freaks and experimented on. Living so high up, and in an abandoned place, was a way that they could still keep in touch with the world, but stay safe at the same time, only putting themselves in danger when they went outside, which they only did when it was night. No one was permitted out of the during daylight hours unless it was a city emergency or if it was for moving out quickly to a different place.

Venus entered her home, opening the metal door and stepping in, closing it justly behind her. However, when she went deeper into the house, she realized that there weren't three other female turtles bustling around, doing whatever helped to pass the time or even anything just for fun. Instead it was vacant and empty, as if no one had lived there in years, even though there was little dust and everything was virtually brand new. But what irked Venus the most was that something was watching her, and whenever she looked it was like the presence was gone. She thought she could hear the distant chanting, calling of her name, but she couldn't see anything. Nothing at all.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Discovery Beyond Belief

A dark shadow bounded and leaped from rooftop to rooftop, just as he had been trained to do for many years, longer than any of the enemies that he had so fought previously. He ran faster, clutching a video recorder in his large, furry hand as he grinned wickedly, a deep purr resounding deep from within his throat. He was both startled, and yet more excited for this sudden change of pace that he nearly passed his destination, where the Foot Clan resided at in the large city that was New York. He bounded onto the roof, careful not to disturb the Foot Clan Leader as he rushed inside and to the doors that may or may not lead him to a reward.

Tigerclaw stopped abruptly at the doorway to Shredder's Throne Room, his breathing heavy at the race to get to Shredder quickly, to deliver news that he knew was going to be fortunate in the end, to their cause. A Foot Clan soldier, a real soldier and not one of the fake robots that learned a new move instantly, designed by the Kraang, opened the large door, allowing the mutant tiger inside. Tigerclaw was not hesitant and, with a little more happiness than he believed he ever had, stepped into Shredder's Throne Room and walked to the stairs that led to a large throne that sat on a stage-like platform. His sharp eyes saw the figure sitting in the chair and immediately recognized the person as none other than Shredder himself. The treacherous Foot Clan Leader, who seeked revenge on Hamato Yoshi himself, was shadowed out, even though the midnight moon shone clearly through the large window wall and overhead glass.

TigerClaw heard Shredder sigh, his ear twitching as he heard the creak of the metal armor that coated Shredder's body both day and night. Through the darkness, TigerClaw could see Shredder's good eye look down at him with a hint of both boredom and anger, as the Ninjitsu Master was tired of his minions bringing back useless information, or just coming back from a mission empty-handed and injured. He had trained these minions of his to be able to go against almost any enemy, and the fact that four mutant turtles, the supposed "sons" of Splinter, could defeat his minions countless times, was something he looked down on, something he despised greatly. He was bored at the moment, saying that TigerClaw had supposedly brought in some good news for once, but Shredder doubted it. Any good news to him at the moment was the destruction of the turtles and Splinter, or Hamato Yoshi, his current enemies that drove him more than even insane.

TigerClaw, kneeling before the Ninjitsu Master, was anxious. He knew that Shredder was short-tempered and, irritably, stubborn. Such had been shown when he had, in his short-temper, nearly lost all his minions to a fight against both the turtles, by the Kraathatragons, which were giant worms from Dimension X that produced mutagen, and were used like cattle. TigerClaw forced down a growl, remembering the unpleasant memory of trying to survive inside of a Kraathatragon, willing himself to stay alive against the giant worms stomach acids. It was never a pleasant memory to look back on, especially since he had lost his left eye to the Kraathatragon, something that made him cringe noticeably.

As TigerClaw was reminded of the gruesome memory, Shredder thought of his own ideas and other things as well, barely paying attention to TigerClaw's growing and failing attempts to hold down growls of torment. He was bored and especially irritable that night, becoming inpatient with all the failed attempts of annihilating the turtles, of destroying Hamato Yoshi. That was all that he wanted, that was all that occupied his mind, day and night, hour after hour, day after day. And what was more irritable in his opinion was the fact that those who followed and obeyed him were rarely able to do as he pleased, to do as he wished. Instead, they failed him, day in and day out, as if they weren't even trying anymore.

"TigerClaw, what news have you brought this time? Another defeat? Another failed mission? I grow weary of your failures. I expected more from you all, especially you." Shredder asked, his voice high and soundless with all but disdain. He was angry and impatient, and he wanted nothing more than his foes defeated. TigerClaw sighed noticeably and raised his head, his blue eyes looking into Shredder's. It was a tragic mistake as the moment he did, the room seemed to grow colder than before. The cold anger of Shredder was very much destroying the smallness of what had once been the warm atmosphere. TigerClaw, though as strong and as brave as he was, seemed to shrink before Shredder's sudden gaze, but he stayed in the same position, fighting the urge to look down and away from the Ninjitsu Master.

"Master Shredder, I followed one of the turtles around the city. It was the leader, Leonardo, the oldest cub." TigerClaw hesitated at his next statement. He knew that Shredder was very harsh when it came to failing a direct order. In the beginning, TigerClaw had planned to kill off the eldest of Splinter's sons, but what he had seen next had diverted and distracted him enough to lose his chance. But, what he hoped, was that this news would be sufficient enough in not making Shredder kill him . . . at least in a torturous way. "But . . . I did not get the chance to kill him." And at that one phrase, TigerClaw knew Shredder was not pleased.

"Tell me, what exactly did you think you would accomplish? What exactly were you trying to gain?" The dark shadow asked. Many upon many times the mutant tiger had been asked this. Many upon many times he had heard his master ask him what the point of such a disastrous mission was for. And many upon many times the tiger had answered in the same monotone he had learned to speak in. This time, however, TigerClaw had more than just a discouraging report. This time he had something that would be important to their survival.

"Master Shredder, I do bring good news this time. I swear!" TigerClaw pronounced, standing straight as The Shredder commanded him to. He wanted to growl in despair, as this wasn't the brightest news imaginable, but still, it could be used against Hamato Yoshi and his four sons. The Shredder waited patiently, quietly, as he had for many years as he tried to find his enemy. "Master Shredder, there are more mutants." Shredder seemed discouraged, but the information that came next . . . was unexpected. "They are turtles . . . four FEMALE turtles."

And at this, Shredder realized that maybe his luck had finally turned.

TigerClaw smiled, staring up at the full moon with a gleam of pure deceit and evil. Shredder, to the surprise of many, had seemed to have his spirits lifted at the news that TigerClaw had delivered. To the mutant tiger's surprise, Shredder had let him off Scott-Free, saying that he was only allowed his release this one time for such news that could, for once, benefit them more than usual. Now, TigerClaw stood on the edge of a rooftop, staring off into the distance, smiling a wicked grin. He was exceptionally happy, and, as much as it took him, he was going to succeed in this mission.

He watched the land for anything out of the ordinary, anything that might come off as being a turtle, and a female, for that matter. He looked as far as his eyes would let him, and for as long as his body would let him. He grew weary and tired after a while, but he stayed where he was. He slept only during the day, unless Master Shredder needed him for something important. He was more active during the night, especially when he was on a mission and when he was well-rested, rather than in the afternoon, when he was still low on energy. However, having been taught well, he knew not to complain, and to instead make sure that he got everything done when needed, and at the time limit, if there was ever a date and time to be met.

However, as the night drew to a close and the sun rose on the eastern horizon, TigerClaw realized that he wouldn't be seeing the female turtle again. He growled impatiently, knowing Shredder would not be pleased with this, but hoping that Master Shredder would also be willing to let him rest for tonight, when he would run back out on the rooftops again, searching eagerly for the female cub. Until then, though, he returned back to The Foot Clan, resting for what may or may not come in the impending nights. He was eager to catch the female terrapin, but his body was more eager for sleep, and so he drifted into his dreams, letting the day go slowly by before awakening the next night.


	6. Chapter 6 - Surprises and Encounters

"Be quiet!" TigerClaw commanded, a growl resonating from the back of his throat as he eyed his followers. Immediately they settled, looking around and idly doing whatever came to mind, everyone avoiding TigerClaw's murderous gaze. The mutant tiger growled, yet nodded in satisfaction as he turned to the streets of New York City, watching both the ground and buildings for any sign of movement, anything that could indicate that of a ninja or kunoichi. He had a plan, one that Shredder had created, but one that he was conducting. It was a plan that TigerClaw was sure wouldn't fail, but even the mutant tiger knew that mistakes were laced into every small detail of everything.

After TigerClaw had given his report, Shredder had sent him out to give him some time to think. A few hours later, an hour before the crack of dawn, Shredder summoned the mutant tiger. At first TigerClaw was worried, nearly frightened by what Shredder might say, but he held his composure and listened instead. Shredder, after hours of thinking and contemplating, had agreed on a plan. A plan that TigerClaw was going to carry out with a few of Shredder's minions. It had taken a long night and day to plan the procedure, but once it was ready, they were set into action. Right now they were still in the first stage: Waiting for any sign or movement of a ninja or kunoichi. Step two would follow immediately after one of them was spotted.

TigerClaw thought hard as he looked around, watching the world that he deemed pathetic pass on. He gave an internal smirk as he thought about how innocent and foolish the people below him could be. They were pathetic things that still had barely any clue as to what was going on in the world. A war had broken loose between two clans, and still no one seemed to notice or take heed of anything. He was amused by this, amused by how simple-minded everyone was. It was a pity, to say the least. The human race could be something more than what it had become, and yet it barely tried to change, to evolve, to help. It seemed surprising that TigerClaw would think these things, saying that he was an enemy to almost everyone and everything, but even he had his moments when he remembered how stupid and careless the world around him was, and what it could become. He cast the ideas and thoughts aside, focusing all his attention on finding the turtles.

Hours passed by. It felt like the night was almost over as the moon started to slowly dip downwards towards the horizon, the last moments until dawn coming to pass. TigerClaw was restless, and now he was upset, almost infuriated. No one had reported any activity of rampant mutants or the turtles that night, and he was angry, furious that this was the case. He had soldiers and guards posted all over the city, wherever they could fit without being suspicious looking, but even that had failed as there wasn't the slightest detail or report. However, as his body language portrayed his anger, his eyes betrayed his true feelings: Fear. The fear of returning to Master Shredder without anything at all, not even a well-based or proven report. His paws clenched and unclenched themselves as he thought long and hard on what he should do, how he could deal with this situation. But nothing came to mind.

"TigerClaw."

The mutant tiger turned around quickly, startling the once well-renounced Chris Bradford. Bradford was nothing more than a twice-over mutated dog known as Rahzar now, who looked weirder than anything a person with a normal life might encounter. Rahzar jumped at TigerClaw's speedy turn, as it caught him off-guard. He sighed inwardly and breathed deeply, gaining composure, and answering the already angry tiger. "TigerClaw, we have nearly thirty minutes until morning. Shredder specifically said we should be back before daybreak." Rahzar reported. TigerClaw's eyes suddenly narrowed and he released a menacing growl that was rare to him. Rahzar, still having the same stubbornness as his human-self, Bradford, refused to back down, knowing that he had spoken the already known truth. Still, this only made TigerClaw even angrier, a dangerous fire in his eyes.

"I know damn well that daybreak is nearly here, Rahzar! What do you take me for?! An imbecile like you who has barely a clue about the real thing in front of him?! I think not, dog!" TigerClaw roared, his retractable claws coming out from his pure hatred. TigerClaw had always hated Rahzar with a passion, saying that Rahzar, still obtaining some of his humanity, was still as stubborn as Bradford, and saying that they were like night and day. TigerClaw believed in doing what was needed and destroying his enemies, gaining revenge. Rahzar, however, toyed with his sense of danger, destroying his enemies painfully slowly, resulting in many a failed mission. It was still no wonder how Rahzar had been mutated again, turning into the horrid beast he was now. "Leave me! I need none of your complaints or unneeded concerns!" TigerClaw said justly, turning back to the setting full moon. He could hear the anger snarl from Rahzar before the soft padding of his feet replaced it, the sound growing distant as he walked away.

The mutant tiger sighed as he watched the setting moon, fear clear in his yellow eyes. He had only an hour left to find any of the turtles, the female turtle in particular, before he had to return to Shredder. He prayed sincerely to his spiritual ancestors, hoping to return to Shredder with the news he wanted, and not to, instead, get mauled by the Shredder's sudden hatred towards him. The clock was ticking, and as it did TigerClaw started losing hope. If he didn't get anything soon, he might as well be pronounced dead. Shredder would kill him the moment the news got around that TigerClaw had failed such a simple mission. Shredder would personally slit his throat and hang his body on display, letting others know that to come back to Shredder with so many failed missions would result in your own, mortifying death.

"TigerClaw! TigerClaw!"

TigerClaw jumped at the voice as he was pulled out of the dreading thought of his dead body on display for everyone to see and mock. It took him a moment before he realized it was his communicator screaming at him. From the continuous voice, TigerClaw could register the person, or mutant, to be FishFace, another one of Shredder's overconfident minions. FishFace had, at one point, been a human thief named Xhever. He pick-pocketed others and, eventually, turned into a fighter. He was mutated into a fish not long before TigerClaw had arrived to straighten out Shredder's almost untameable recruits. TigerClaw quickly took his communicator out of his back pocket, answering the anxious sounding mutant, "What is it, FishFace?!" TigerClaw demanded.

"I spotted one of them! It's the female turtle, the one you described! She's heading your way and we're hot on her trail!" FishFace announced with pride. TigerClaw himself felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders before he asked which direction she was heading. FishFace had responded with the answer of Southeast. That was headed right for the mutant tiger. TigerClaw was overcome with joy, and to keep that emotion he sent out his troops to organize around where he was at. If the female turtle was coming his way, than he needed to make sure that when she reached him she had nowhere to turn, but to fight if necessary. Suddenly, on the horizon, he saw a cloaked figure heading at their top speed towards him as they, or she, dashed across the rooftops towards him.

Step two was finally being put into action: Fight, Disarm, and Capture.

 **~ Two Hours Earlier ~**

Venus lay on her bed, contemplating what she should do. She had done her chores, she had solved a dilemma between two of her sisters, and she had completed her training. Now she was alone in her room, bored out of her mind, wondering what to do. She lay there for about thirty minutes, staring at her ceiling, her breathing deep and even as if in concentration. Than, at the most random moment, she thought of going out and seeing what the Big Apple was doing. But, at the same time, she pushed the thought out of her head, her mind still reliving her first meeting with Leo. For the whole of last night, the entire day and now this night, Venus hadn't been able to keep the royal blue terrapin out of her head. The image of him was just glued to her brain, and she couldn't get it unstuck.

The turquoise terrapin sighed again, this time deeper, her auburn eyes squeezing shut in concentration. She stayed deep in thought for another ten minutes before the sudden remembrance hit her. The map! She hadn't even thoroughly looked at it yet, only giving it that small glance from last night! She back-flipped off her bed and reached her dresser in a split-second, grabbing the parchment carefully off of the wooden surface. She opened it carefully, mindful of its rips and tears, looking at the map more carefully. Now that her eyes were drinking in the images of New York City in its present-state, she was indeed amazed at the writings and unique landscapes labelled carefully on the ever-expanding map.

Venus sat on her bed, lying on her stomach and resting the map on her sky blue pillow. She toyed with her turquoise scarf as she read and saw everything the paper had to offer her. She lay there for about an hour, just reading and rereading the map over and over, recognizing and marking areas on her new map that were important and/or needed to be patrolled. It was at the end of that hour when her auburn eyes finally looked at the bottom right-hand part of the map. There, written in small, black ink was a name and a number. It took Venus a second to read the Japanese Kanji that the name was written properly in, but when she did it took her a second before she could breathe again. That little print at the bottom of the picture wasn't just anything, no . . . it was Leo's phone number. Something that was completely unexpected.

Venus just stared at the info, reading the phone number over and over, again and again. It took her all her might to finally tear herself away from the writing. She tried to, instead, focus her attention on the actual map, but her eyes would always revert back to the number. After a little while she sighed and gave up trying to not look. Instead, she looked . . . again. She read the number again, memorizing it in her head, before getting up quickly. She wanted to try something. She grabbed her phone off of her desk. It was a Moto E Lite, one of the new ones that her mother, Mina, had sent her. She had accidentally destroyed her last one when her youngest sister had accidentally dropped it off of the tower's highest railing. Venus, pushing back the memory, quickly clicked on her Phone App and dialed in Leo's number. She was about to hit call, but she stopped herself. Should she really do this? Like, maybe his number had changed! Maybe it wasn't his number anymore! Or what if he did answer, but he thought badly of it? What would she do than?!

"Uchimasu... Shita hō ga ī? Īe, kore wa warui kangaede wa arimasen! Shikashi, sore wa nanide wanaidesu ka?" Venus whispered to herself in Japanese, something she only did when she was having an internal struggle between herself. She stared at the phone and rubbed her cheek softly, sighing at the stress she was putting herself through. Was it really this hard to just try? She had never done this before, but if she didn't try, than what would happen? And what if it was a good reaction? She couldn't know unless she tried. With a heavy sigh, Venus pushed the call button. Immediately her phone connected and started to ring. She watched the small words of "dialing", waiting for when the numbers for how long she was talking would show up so she could put the phone to her ear. It was a habit of hers to not put the phone to her ear unless she was actually talking to the person on the other line, which meant waiting anxiously for that person to pick up.

It seemed like an eternity, but, with a shocked expression from the turquoise terrapin, the phone was connected. She put the phone up to her ear quickly. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She couldn't talk anymore, let alone breathe properly. She mentally hit herself for what was happening, but she had no clue as to why her body suddenly didn't want to work anymore. There was no explanation to it, and it was killing her that there wasn't, especially saying that she may be ruining her chances at the very moment with not just simply saying "hi". Thankfully, the person on the other end of the line seemed to realize this.

"Hello?"

Venus's heart skipped a beat. She had only heard that voice once last night, but she had already memorized it. That was Leo alright, no doubt to that. There was a sudden silence. At first Venus seemed to still not be functioning right, and she was getting frustrated at it. It was just Leo! What was the problem?! What the hell was going on with her right now?! She had called to say hi, and maybe even chat, but that wasn't even happening because of her being a total idiot!

"Hi." Venus finally breathed out. She flinched at her voice. The poor thing was squeaky and high, barely even operating correctly. But, at the least, she had gotten her voice to work. Maybe not in the best way, but enough to actually get something out. She breathed deeply, calming herself somewhat, hoping that the next time she talked would be better. Until then, she waited. She heard shuffling and breathing from the other side, and for a second she thought that Leo just didn't want to answer. But, after a minute, Leo said some words that made Venus feel a little special.

"Venus?" Leo asked, his voice having the clear tone of being astounded and bewildered. Venus lit up at his guess, and she answered a quick, cheerful yes . She heard a chuckle from the other side, her own little giggle ringing out. Venus knew that it hadn't been that funny, but the only reason why she and Leo were laughing was because of all the awkwardness and nervousness that lingered between them. The conversation had started awkward, the "hi" gesture had been awkward, and even the laughing from both ends of the phone line had an awkward sense to it. However, whenever a teenage girl and teenage guy have ever talked to each other, it's always had an awkward atmosphere to it. Saying that Leo and Venus had also just met last night was even more awkward as well, as they barely knew each other. But what other way was the best way to get to know someone without talking to them, right?

"Wow, um, it's great to hear from you, even though I just met you last night. Either way, how are you?" Leo chuckled, earning a small, quiet giggle from Venus.

"I'm alright. How are you?" Venus replied as she lay on her back, stretching as she talked. At least they were starting off with a good ice-breaker.

"I'm fine. So, um, how did you get my number?"

"Well, funny thing is is that . . . well . . . it was on the map you gave me."

"Oh, well . . . that explains that. I guess I forgot about putting it on there, huh? I'm forgetting everything."

"You're not the only one. I feel like my head is scattered everywhere right now, what with all the stress I'm going through? Ugh!"

"Hehe, tell me about it! Hey, um, I know this might sound weird, but, do you wanna hang out? I've got, like, nothing to do and it would be nice to get to talk and know you in person."

"Wait, really?" Venus bolted up at Leo's request. She had expected for Leo to talk to her over the phone, but she hadn't expected him to ask to see her. Not that she didn't mind it, it was just a surprise was all! Venus gave a small giggle at her nostalgia before answering, "Sure! Just, where are we gonna meet up at?" Venus questioned.

"How about . . . hmm . . . do you know where Antonio's Pizza is at?" Leo questioned.

"Yeah, I know where Antonio's is at. Wanna meet there?" Venus asked, even though she already knew the answer to that question. Leo answered with a quick yes and, after a little more of talking, they both said farewell. Venus, after hanging up and saving Leo's number in her Contacts, jumped off her bed, strapped on her gear and grabbed her cloak. She stashed her phone and the map in her back belt pocket and exited her room, closing the door softly behind her. For all she knew her sister's could be asleep right now, and they didn't need to know about where she was going or about her intentions. They could keep their noses out of it.

She silently moved across the living area. It was a large area that fit, of course, perfectly inside the tower. The kitchen had one wall separating it from the living room, the dining room connecting to the kitchen. The sisters' bedrooms were all on one wall, each door being painted the same color as the female's mask that lived in there. There was a modern sized TV in the living room, connected to the wall by Venus's younger sister, Daniella. It had taken the smart sister only a few measly minutes and than Maleigha, the youngest, had been on the TV in a flash with Rarity, the second oldest, to watch in amusement. That had been so long ago though that Venus had the memory barely remembered. She had more important things to memorize either way, so that memory was fading fast.

Venus had reached the door, her hand on the knob. She waited. She could've stepped out then and there, but she thought she had heard something. It had been a gentle creak, like the one that an old, rusted door might make. Knowing her home inside and out, Venus knew that the only doors that squeaked on their hinges were the bedroom doors. The bathroom door had made the sound at one point, but due to it being so loud, Daniella had fixed it. The bedrooms doors had been left alone for some reason, even though Daniella had said she would take care of it. But right now Venus listened and waited. The silence was deafening, and the moonlight streaming in from the large windows that made up one side of the tower made the silence even more unbearable. She was as plain as day right now, and yet she was still a shadow. Her figure still blended in perfectly to the shadows that lingered and danced where the moon could not shine, and she danced with them. However, that didn't stop her from getting caught.

"Venus, what are you doing? Don't you know what time it is?"

The turquoise masked female turned around to meet her youngest sister, her auburn eyes meeting the ocean blue ones of her little sister, Maleigha. She was the shortest out of all the girls, but she was no less the intriguing teenager. She was the most energetic and crazed out of the sisters', and her skills showed no bounds when it came to her partying skills and her Ninjitsu skills. That was shown especially when she wielded her Tonfa, a weapon with handles that could be wielded for both extra offense and defense. The type of Tonfa Maleigha wielded was a Tonfa that, where the ordinary wood was, was replaced with long, thin blades that had sharp edges and curves. There was no true name besides a simple, "Bladed Tonfa". Her tangerine hair poked out from two side of the back of her head, none on her crown. They were braided to make two braids, having both an out-of-the-way and yet childish look to them, making Maleigha all the more adorable. She had a tangerine mask that had the same curve and design as Venus's. Her Ocean Blue eyes usually had a sparkling, energetic look to them, but from the present, tired look of the young sister's form, Venus could safely assume she was more tired than not. The frequent yawns helped to further prove this to the eldest sister.

"I'm just going out for a little bit is all. I need some fresh air. Besides, I couldn't sleep." Venus answered quietly, keeping her voice down so that her other sister's wouldn't hear her. Knowing her sister's, Rarity would be knocked unconscious right now, her activities during the day having destroyed all her energy. Daniella, however, seemed to work on an endless stream of iced and hot coffee. It seemed that she never slept unless she absolutely had to, and even than she only slept for a few hours before she was in her lab again doing research, building, and just being a brainiac in general. If Daniella came out here than all of Venus's hopes and chances to go meet Leo would be down the drain in no time.

"But I thought you went out just . . . last . . . mmm . . . night." Maleigha stated, her sentence broken up from her frequent yawns. Venus smiled at her sister. Maleigha could be clueless and sometimes even not in reality at times, but she was still smart in her own little way. She watched as Maleigha stretched suddenly, her body stretching past its limits before it relaxed again. Maleigha seemed even more tired now because of that one thing. Before Venus could answer her sister, Maleigha asked again, "Why are you going . . . out?"

"I just need air and time alone. You know how much I hate being stuck in one place. Besides, everyone needs their time, and I haven't really gotten any today." Venus answered, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she looked down on her sister. As much as she was deceiving her little sister into letting her go out, she was also telling the truth. Throughout the whole day Venus had been doing chores, training until she dropped, and tending to the many problems that aroused in her family. She hadn't had any time to herself as of late and she needed her space right about now. She needed her time to do what she wanted, of course within its restricted boundaries, and to just be herself. Besides, Venus had always hated being stuck in one place for too long. It's not that her world was moving fast, it was just the fact that she wanted new things and new experiences. Staying put in one place was not how she was going to get those things.

Maleigha stared at her oldest sister for sometime, her ocean blue eyes staring into Venus's auburn ones. Venus sighed and shifted. She knew what Maleigha was doing. Maleigha, as childish and care-free as she might be, had the uncanny ability to be able to stare into a person's eyes and see the truth. It was something that the sister's had learned to be aware of when they were kids, saying that whatever they did was found out by Maleigha and her concentrated focus on their eyes. Even now Maleigha could still find the truth behind their eyes, as long as she had a perfect look into them, sometimes even a glance. She didn't do it often, thankfully, but when she did it sent chills around the entire room. "Hmm . . . alright." Maleigha said tiredly, her ocean blue eyes releasing their stare at Venus's. She gave a quick stretch, another long and well-needed yawn before finally yielding to her needed sleep. She bid Venus a small, quiet good night before she headed to her room. Venus watched as Maleigha, the tired little thing she was right now, opened her door and disappeared into her room, the door giving a soft click as it shut.

Venus smiled warmly at seeing her sister so persistent. Maleigha wasn't the one with a strong attention span, but when it came to her sister's Maleigha knew when she needed to be ready and prepared. It was something Venus secretly congratulated the youngest sister for, saying she had the shortest attention span she ever knew anyone of having. She waited a few minutes, listening for anyone or anything else. When their was nothing she gave a small, unheard sigh before she continued on what she was doing. She hooded herself, Venus becoming a shadow in the late-midnight hour, and waited once more. Again, there was nothing. Than, with a small little noise, one barely heard, she opened the door and was gone into the night.

 **~ The Lair ~**

Leo had just hung up with Venus and brought himself out of his meditation position to get ready for "patrol". He had agreed to meet her on the rooftop of Antonio's Pizza Place, where he and his brothers bought almost all of their pizza from until as of late, saying that he turned into a human-eating pizza mutant. Now they got their pizza from a small corner that was just a few blocks away from them. Leo didn't know the actual name as he never actually looked at the box or called the pizza place to get the pizza, he merely ate it.

Leo had just finished gearing up, tightening his shoulder straps and readjusting them to fit him. He had his T-Phone and his map in his back pocket and his Katanas in their sheaths, saying that he had to go out in a little bit to do his side of the city for patrol. His other brothers, excluding Mikey, were probably already getting their patrols done. The youngest brother, however, was probably with Ice Cream Kitty, doing something ridiculous that would end in disaster. He sighed, preparing himself, mentally, for when Raph would lose his temper on Mikey . . . again. However, he didn't want to think on that now. All he wanted to think about was going to see Venus and maybe, just maybe, doing a patrol with her. It'd been a while since he had had a partner or just plain anybody do patrol with him. True, doing it solo got the job done a lot faster, but it wasn't too bad when you had someone next to you, accompanying you as you did a thankless job.

Leo, geared and ready for patrol, headed out. He closed his door softly behind him, knowing Splinter would be in meditation right now, and walked to the entrance of the Lair. As Leo had already guessed, Mikey was in the kitchen messing around with Ice Cream Kitty. The royal blue masked ninja sighed. He would probably have to do Mikey's patrol area as well, but, it didn't matter. For one thing, Mikey would be taught a lesson for letting his duties go undone and letting someone else do them for him. For seconds, Leo would have Venus most likely with him anyway. The situation wasn't too bad. Maybe for Mikey it was, saying he would be given a fitting punishment by Master Splinter, but for Leo, well, maybe his night would get better after all. And with that, Leo was gone into the sewers and into the midnight hours of New York City.

Leo ran for what felt like only a few minutes, but that he knew took longer. Antonio's wasn't exactly far from where he had emerged from, so it had only taken maybe ten minutes for him to get there. However, when he did get there, there was no sign of Venus anywhere. Leo thought for a moment, wondering what he could do. For one thing, he would wait maybe ten minutes or so for Venus. If she didn't arrive by then, well, he would have to get on with patrol. Until then he could think, ponder, have a few minutes to himself before he wasn't alone again. With that in mind Leo sat down behind an air vent, crossed his legs, rested his forearms on his thighs, closed his eyes, and waited. He knew how to keep track of time in his head, having had to multitask at a young age to train and morph his mind into that of a leader's.

Six or seven minutes passed before he heard the soft, almost nonexistent sound of someone landing on the rooftop. His stormy blue eyes opened and he stood up, carefully. He still needed to be cautious, just in case this wasn't actually Venus. A ninja was always self-conscious and aware of both the consequences and rewards of his actions, and Leo, knowing that Shredder's henchmen and the Kraang were everywhere, knew that this was a definite thing to remember. He carefully peaked out from behind the air unit and there, in the moonlight was . . . no one. Leo blinked in confusion, looking again, more closely this time, to see if there was anything in the shadows. Yet again, there was nothing. Leo was confused. He could've sworn he had heard someone land on the rooftop, and there had been no other noises of movement to signify that the person or thing had gone. Was he sincerely losing his mind from all this stress?

Before Leo got the chance to ponder his sanity loss, something, he had no clue as to what it was, grabbed his sides and squeezed. He gave a small scream of surprise and jumped, nearly losing his balance and almost falling face-first onto the concrete rooftop. Before that he steadied himself, locking his feet in place and rebalancing himself before standing up straight, regaining composure. He blushed out how easily he had been surprised, how simple it had been for whomever it was to sneak up on him and nearly scare him out of his shell. He sighed, realizing how bad his skills had gotten . . . but, why? And how? How and why were his skills so rusty, especially saying that he had just done a perfect patrol last night? He needed work . . . no, he needed sanity.

"Did I scare you?"

Leo smiled and sighed at the voice. He had that voice, the sweetness of it, memorized in his mind already. He turned around and was met with the turquoise masked female. She smiled at him, a hint of playfulness and laughter in her auburn eyes. Her cloak concealed most of her teenage body, the female terrapin a true shadow of the night. She definitely knew how to move around and sense when someone was nearby, saying that Leo hadn't been in her line of sight when she had landed on the rooftop and that she had been hidden perfectly before Leo had gotten even the slightest chance to see her. She knew how to blend in, how to become a hidden figure that was silent and deadly. Like a kunoichi . . . a skilled kunoichi at that.

"Hahaha. Yes, Venus, yes you did scare me. You feeling proud of yourself?" Leo teased, receiving a giggle and smile from her. Leo smiled back. He was relieved. At first, when he had been making his way to the rooftop of the pizza place, he had wondered if they would be awkward and silent to one another through their visit together. However, Venus had proven him wrong. If anything, she was lightening the mood, making it easier for them to communicate to one another, to get to know each other. Leo was thankful for that. He wasn't the best when it came to meet-and-greets, or even hanging out with someone he barely knew. With Venus lightening the tension with her playfulness it was almost calming, relaxing to be in her presence, something Leo had been doubtful and becoming a reality. However, she had cleared that up already. Not bad.

"Yes, yes I am! I'm kind of surprised actually. You were able to detect me last night when I was following you, and I was pretty for away. What's so different about tonight?" Venus questioned, adjusting her belt as she asked. Leo froze for a moment, pondering what she had just said. She was right, actually. Last night it had taken Leo only a few seconds to register that she had been following him, but tonight he couldn't sense her at all, besides when she had landed on the rooftop. He didn't know how to answer because he didn't know what was wrong with him. He was losing his sanity, his patience, and now he was losing his ninja skills! What was doing this to him?! But then, something clicked. How had she been so quiet, so stealthy? No fighter was that inconspicuous and careful.

"Well, let me ask you something real quick, because I noticed something about you. You're quiet, you're stealthy, and you're definitely careful with your actions and choices. Are you a kunoichi?" Leo questioned, drawing just a little bit closer to Venus. The turquoise masked female was quiet for a moment, looking at Leo with curiosity and a sense of amazement. She giggled after a second, before giving him a curious look again, as if asking him if he had literally just asked that. He got his answer in that look, which made him feel a little better about himself.

"Yes, I am a kunoichi. Nearly twelve to thirteen years of Ninjitsu training." Venus confessed, tugging at something behind her. When Leo gave her a curious glance as to what she was messing with she moved her cloak out of the way to reveal a sheath and blade attached to the back of her belt. From looking at the sheath Leo could only guess that the blade was just a tiny bit smaller than his Katanas. It seemed to have a lighter weight as well, saying that she could hold it easily on her hips without being dragged down. He watched as she adjusted her belt again before moving to tie something on her sheath. After that tie the blade stopped swinging around so often, only moving when she jumped or swung her hips about. "So, what now?" Venus suddenly asked.

Leo looked at her for a second before snapping back to reality. Wait, when had he zoned out? That wasn't something he normally did, especially when there were people around. At least he knew what she had asked. "Um, well, I have to patrol this area and another one. You know, to look out for mutants and ruffians and all that. We could patrol those areas and get to know each other." Leo suggested. He was expecting Venus to become bored and bail on him, like most people did when he suggested focusing on the task at hand or anything that dealt with training. However, he was surprised when she gave him a nod of agreement. She liked the idea of patrolling . . . maybe not that in general, but she wasn't disagreeing with him . . . huh.

Leo smiled at her agreement and pointed in the direction they were gonna start at. He would lead her along in the patrolling direction as they got further and further into the area, to make it easier. They didn't need a signal to go. All Leo did was start running in the way he had pointed and Venus followed close behind. A conversation brewed between the two as they patrolled, their eyes focused everywhere, but their interests and hearing focused on each other. Maybe this wasn't going to be so strange and awkward after all.

 **~ An Hour Later ~**

The patrolling had actually gone pretty well. For the entire midnight hour and a little after that Leo and Venus had patrolled the two areas and struck up some pretty interesting and curious conversations between each other. The two hadn't gotten bored at all, like they had originally feared. Actually, it was quite the opposite, saying that they'd grown interested in each other. That wasn't the only thing though. Through the entire hour, knowing it from the start, the ninja and kunoichi had started a blossoming friendship, something that had seemed impossible to both of them when they realized, at different ages, that the world saw them as freaks. However, they saw each other as friends, allies, a person to lay there trust in. It was nice, relaxing, and relieving, to know that there was someone else out there, who wasn't family, who you could rely in, depend on, and believe in. Truly, it was nice. However, at one point, they both had to return to their homes, ending their meeting. That didn't mean they wouldn't hang out again though.

"You know, this was really nice. I enjoyed it." Venus confessed as she and Leo stopped on a clothing store rooftop to catch their breath. Leo smiled and nodded at her before he looked to the moon. It was nearly a quarter past one o'clock now. If he got home any later than two than Splinter would have his shell. It'd been made a rule to be home before two in the morning because of all the enemy activity that was going on. No one dared to disobey Splinter, and Leo was already pushing it with staying out until one thirty in the morning. He needed to get home right about now, or he wasn't gonna make it. He turned to Venus, the turquoise masked kunoichi was stretching, a tiny yawn escaping her. He smiled. He wasn't the only one who was tired.

"Well, I have to go, and you look like you need some sleep anyway." Leo claimed, receiving a tired smile from Venus. She was starting to get sleepy and she already knew that when she got home she was gonna pass out. Leo smiled back drearily. He was tired, true, and he needed to get home, which was also true, but . . . he didn't wanna say goodbye yet. He had been enjoying his time, be it limited, with Venus and it was a pain to have to go. However, he knew the consequences for staying out late and they could still meet up again sometime. It wasn't the end of the world, though, for some reason . . . it felt like it was. "I guess I'll see you later than." Leo said.

"Definitely." Venus replied, making Leo smile at her confidence. He knew she had enjoyed the night as much as he had, but her vote of confidence for seeing him again was something that he enjoyed. She had hope, a great thing to have, and he felt joy knowing it. "Well, goodbye, Leo. And good night. I'll see you later." Venus said as she turned the other direction, readying herself for the long trip home. It was gonna take all of her energy, but it would be worth it.

"Goodbye, Venus. I'll see you later. And, of course, good night to you as well." Leo said as he walked his own way. They lived in opposite directions, from what they knew, so, with their backs turned away from each other, they took off in their own directions into the night.

 **~ Venus ~**

Venus smiled as she recollected Leo's grin, his chuckle, his joy and playfulness. It kept replaying in her head, over and over until she was dizzy. She had enjoyed the night with Leo, getting to know him, becoming his friend instead of just being an ally. She felt special, in a sense, and was joyous to realize that she would be able to see Leo again, in a short time, hopefully. She smiled again as she hooded herself, becoming a shadow that raced along the rooftop.

For ten minutes she ran like this, reminiscing in the night and journeying home. However, her good night was about to end. As she ran she heard something. It sounded like footsteps from far away, coming closer but keeping a reasonable distance. She looked around her, but spotted nothing in the area that was around her. Maybe it was just a teenager or a person, a young adult maybe, running around in the late-night hour. But Venus questioned if that was the case. It was nearly two in the morning. It wasn't like it was uncommon for a person to do a late-night jog, but it was uncommon for a late-night jog to be this late at night. New York was a strange city with strange people though, but Venus still questioned her reasoning. Her suspicion turned to fear when she made a sharp left and the figure followed that. This wasn't a late-night jogger. Someone was following her.

Venus ran faster, but the figure kept it's distance and this time it started getting closer. The thing was behind her, chasing her, and the problem was that there was more than one pair of footsteps now. There were four, and the number just kept adding on until there was about ten. She ran faster, her legs burning and her body growing tired. She needed to get home, but she needed these things or people off of her tail first. She took a sharp right, away from her home, but was met with the tip of a blade barely missing her cheek. She yelped and jumped back into her spot, pulling out her blade, a Wakazashi, from its sheath. Her auburn eyes looked around, trying to pinpoint where the people were, but she had no luck. They were trained like her, she realized. They were trained to be one and move in, out, and like a shadow. She gave in inwards growl. This wasn't gonna be easy and she was already low on energy. She needed to lose these guys, but before she could another surprise came up.

The things, whatever they were, moved away, but the problem wasn't there. It was, instead, around her. Everywhere she turned, she looked, their was a soldier dressed in a black suit with bug-like eyes that were red or white. Each and every one of them wielded some type of Ninjitsu weapon, and all eyes were on her. Every time she tried to get out they would block her path. Every time she fought back there were ten of them to push her to the ground. She was trapped in a circle of soldiers. What worried her was why this was happening. There were two things that this could be. The first one was that they were a group that ambushed and attacked whoever was unlucky to be caught. The second one was that she had been watched and followed and that someone, something, had set this trap for her. But why?

Suddenly, there was a deep, growling-like laughter behind her. She turned around quickly and was met with the sight of mutants. One of them was a reddish-pinkish fish that had water tanks attached to its back and gills and robot legs to help it move around in its unnatural terrain. The next one was a dog-like mutant that looked like he had been overexposed to mutagen. He was dark gray with light gray streaks and marks running across some parts of his body. He had white structure, something Venus believed were bones, sticking out of certain areas of him, such as his hands, which, due to the bone-like structure, were sharp and pointed for battle. The last one was the one that caught her eye. A mutant tiger with no tail and no left eye. Where his left eye was there was an eye patch. He wore a baby blue scarf and was dressed in the clothes of a supreme hunter. Inside his belt were guns that seemed advanced and more dangerous than what Venus was used to. The tiger gave a frown to her, but the other two mutants had grins of pure evil.

"Great, just what I needed." Venus growled angrily as she moved into a fighting stance. Her Wakazashi was held in both her hands, which gripped the handle tightly from her anger and need of sleep. She was ready to fight . . . or so she hoped.

 **Translations**

\- 撃ちます。 。 。したほうがいい？いいえ、これは悪い考えではありません！しかし、それは何ではないですか？

Uchimasu... Shita hō ga ī? Īe, kore wa warui kangaede wa arimasen! Shikashi, sore wa nanide wanaidesu ka?

Shoot . . . should I? No, no, this is a bad idea! But, what if it isn't?


	7. Chapter 7 - Ambush

Venus was ready, she was prepared . . . or so she thought. With how little energy she had it was hard for her to barely even hold her Wakazashi the right way. Yawns threatened to escape her and her auburn eyes showed her weakness. If these people and mutants around her, her enemies, saw her weak form, she would be overpowered in seconds. It's not like she already was, but she would be beaten to the ground before she ever got the chance to actually fight. She hid her tiredness, her weakness, and instead focused on the obvious leader of this unit: the mutant tiger. She watched as he called out orders to the fish and dog-like mutants that stood behind him. They disappeared into the crowd of soldiers, a command she really didn't want to know about, but that she had the feeling she'd discover later on.

The mutant tiger suddenly turned his eyes to her, watching her. She crouched down lower to hide her identity, to hide what she looked like. Her eyes darted around the area, looking for a way out. She couldn't fight this many enemies off alone, and Leo was far away by now. Even if anyone she knew could come to her aid it would be too late. Everyone she knew was far away from her general vicinity, and calling anyone in may end up in more injured people than she needed. She cringed suddenly as she felt her muscles scream at her, her body trembling from her stance. If she moved up however, he could easily discover what she was, and there was more than ten consequences to that choice. She looked around again, trying in vain to find a way out, a hole in their line to escape from.

"It is useless trying to find a way out. Give up and come easily. We do not want to use violence on you or harm you, female turtle." The mutant tiger commanded. Those words made Venus's heart stop. He knew what she was already, and this had obviously been a trap for her. They'd seen her at one point, and they had followed her, waiting for when she was alone and weak from her tiredness to strike. Not a bad plan, but not an easy one either. She gave another growl, low and filled with anger, to warn the tiger that she wasn't going to give up easily. She watched as he sighed, his left paw coming up to rub his face before he looked back at her. "I ask you one more time, terrapin. Give up and come quietly. We will not harm you, I promise. I cannot ensure your safety if you continue to put up this fight. You are outnumbered, and even so we do not, I repeat, do not want to harm you. Please, lower your weapon." The mutant tiger asked once more, his face showing mercy and pleading. Venus, however, knew better. She didn't know these people or mutants and she didn't trust them either. Besides, there was one other thing she didn't like. The tiger may seem pleading and passionate in his words, but he was lying. She could see it in his yellow eyes. They had the tinge of a dark spirit, one that was deceitful and menacing. She didn't trust him, or his unit, and she wasn't going to anytime soon. She readied her stance and glared dead into his eyes.

The tiger sighed before raising his left paw, his eyes trained on her to see of she would retreat her previous decision. But Venus made no such move, only holding onto her blade even tighter. He growled at her persistence, but he should have known better. She was, after all, a kunoichi. She was deceitful and sharp, but she wasn't a fool. She knew when she could and could not trust a person, and he assumed that it was her common sense to not trust those who threatened and trapped her like this. He held three fingers up and slowly put each one down. He was hoping she would have enough common sense left to not fight an entire unit of trained soldiers and advanced robots, but she was as stubborn as a bull and refused to let her guard down. The tiger sighed once more. If they were going to capture her, than the only way to do it now was by brute force. The tiger suddenly swooped his hand in a downward arc, each and every soldier following his command and jumping and attacking the lone kunoichi.

"STOP!"

The voice rang out loud and clear through the cold night. At the command not a person moved, not even Venus, as the echo died away. Silence fell onto the would-be-battlefield, no one moving a muscle for a few moments. They stared quietly at one another, their eyes darting around at each other and everything, weapons poised in mid-air in swings and attacks on the kunoichi. Venus herself had her Wakazashi in a ready stance of defense, ninja stars gripped in her hands carefully as she held the handle of the sword. The silence stayed for a few more moments, not a movement nor a breath being seen or made.

 _Wait, what am I doing?! This is my perfect chance to get out of here!_ Venus's mind suddenly screamed, her mind awakening back up from the sudden command. Before anyone could react, Venus took out the few soldiers that surrounded her, arousing the others to defend the fallen warriors. They had only been robots that had been able to get to her first, but they were no less spurred to avenge the fallen warriors. Before they could react Venus was running through the crowd, making her way to the outer edge and jumping onto a different building. A few of the soldiers were chasing after her, but they were easily knocked out by the handle of the blade and a few ninja kicks to the head. The kunoichi looked back to see the mutant tiger screaming at a few other higher ranks to get her, but she ran off before they got the chance, making her escape with as little effort as possible.

 **~ TigerClaw ~**

"YOU IDIOTS! WE HAD OUR CHANCE TO CATCH THE FEMALE TURTLE AND YOU DIMWITS DESTROYED THOSE CHANCES!" TigerClaw screamed, his anger directed at Rahzar and FishFace. The two lower mutants had gone off to get more soldiers in case the kunoichi would best the ones around her. However, they had instead drawn the attention of the Shredder himself. When Shredder had seen the two mutants getting more Foot Soldiers to help with TigerClaw's plan, he had become suspicious about the fact that maybe TigerClaw's plan was failing. He had followed Rahzar and FishFace to where the ambush was taking place and had witnessed TigerClaw attacking the kunoichi . . . something that had not been according to plan. The truth was that it was The Shredder's fault for stopping the attack, but TigerClaw couldn't yell at his master without getting his head cut off afterwards.

"TigerClaw. You have disobeyed me."

The mutant tiger froze in his tracks, his ears dropping in fear. The tone in the Shredder's voice was one he heard only when The Shredder was ready to kill . . . and he knew exactly who he wanted to murder. TigerClaw turned around and bowed, refusing to look Shredder in the eyes as he knew they were filled with the desire to kill. He kept his breathing as even as possible, but inside he was more scared than he had ever been before in his life. He felt his heart pump faster, the adrenaline from his fear and almost catching the kunoichi making his adrenaline rush even worse. He heard the clanking of The Shredder's metal armor, the sharp blades a dangerous weapon that TigerClaw had only been able to see in action once. He had always promised himself that he would never be at the receiving end of those blades, but now he knew that this might be the end of the line for him.

"TigerClaw. You disobeyed a direct order from me. I told you specifically to not attack the female turtle in a way that harm her. You had many other ways to do this, and instead you disobeyed a _direct_ order." Shredder explained, his voice it's usual steadiness, but his words filled with an undeniable venom. TigerClaw gulped quietly, his eyes dilating as he heard Shredder's sharp blades slink out from their spots in his armor. He withdrew his claws, drawing them back in to their sockets. If TigerClaw was going to go out than he was going to be ended without fighting his master. That was how a respectful, an honorable soldier gave his life to his master when he knew he failed them. The mutant tiger waited patiently for the swift blade to end him . . . but it never came. His right ear suddenly twitched as he heard the pained groan of a Foot Soldier, s gurgling noise replacing it moments later.

TigerClaw looked up and gasped. Instead of the tiger's life being taken, Shredder had taken the life of a Foot Soldier instead. The poor ninja was gurgling blood, the usual black suit stained with the crimson red of his blood in both his mouth area and his stomach and chest area. Shredder yanked the blades out a mere second later, the soldier crying out in excruciating pain as blood flowed ever more freely from his open wounds. The soldier collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach and chest, his body twitching and writhing on the ground as the pain overtook him. It only took a few more seconds before the Foot Soldier passed, his hands losing their grip and his chest no longer heaving with every pained breath. He was gone.

"TigerClaw." Shredder growled, his attention turning to the mutant tiger. The said tiger turned his head to The Shredder in confusion and fear, unable to understand why the soldier had been killed and not himself. "I would have killed you now, but you are still needed for what I have planned. However, if you fail me again . . ." The Shredder warned, grabbing the mutant tigers head fur and yanking his head up to fully face him. "Fail me once more, and I will end your pitiful life." Shredder harshly let go of TigerClaw, the mutant tiger rubbing his head in pain as he watched his master head back to where he resided. The mutant tiger held in a growl, unable to hide the anger in his eyes as he watched the skilled ninja walk back home with his followers behind him. He had been so close to death, but had only been threatened instead. He was glad to bee alive, but hid pride and dignity was wounded badly. And it was all because of The Shredder.

 **~ Venus ~**

"AH!"

Venus winced and gave another cry as she addressed the wound on her leg. Blood was oozing from the open cut, the cut burning more as she applied the disinfectant to her injury. She gave another cry as it burned even more, her breath catching as she felt her leg pulse from her heartbeat. As much as Venus would have loved to gloat about being able to defeat a few good many enemies on her own, that was kind of hard with a giant wound on your left calf that was oozing blood and making you grit your teeth in pain. Venus had thought, when she had been running home, that she had gotten out of the ambush without a single injury. However, when she had gotten home, she had been with excruciating pain shooting up her leg and spine. The wound wasn't deep enough to need stitches, but it was deep enough that it would need a good bandaging every few hours or so often.

Venus suddenly felt nausea run through her, the kunoichi doubling over real fast so as to not throw up the remains of her late dinner in her stomach. With the urge to resist she straightened herself up and continued applying the ointment. Once that was done she applied the bandaging, wrapping it tightly around the wound so it would help stop the bleeding. She covered that with her turquoise leg wraps that she wore everyday and everywhere. It would help to conceal her incident from this night so her three younger sisters wouldn't worry and fret over her. She would have to find a way to control the limping, but otherwise she should be able to keep her injury a secret from her family. She sighed as she put on her last leg wrap, her injury now disinfected, bandaged, and concealed from everyone except herself.

"Well, at least it's not too bad. I have had worse." Venus murmured to herself as she lie down on her bed. She was exhausted and tired, having run around with Leo for a while and than having to fight off an ambush. All she wanted to do now was sleep, to just pass out and not have to wake up until tomorrow night. Sure enough she could feel her eyes start to fall and hear her breathing start to even out as her body told her to sleep. She looked at her alarm clock and sighed as she saw the giant digital numbers reading **4:30 AM**. If it was already this early in the morning than there was no doubt that she'd only get two or three hours of sleep. She would either get woken up by her circadian rhythm or from one of her sisters, most likely Maleigha wanting her to have some breakfast. Venus sighed and switched off her light, curling under her covers as she stared out of her partially opened curtains. They gave a clear view to New York City and the full moon and stars that adorned the sky. She smiled and gave a deep breath as her eyes closed.

"Not a bad night . . . not too bad, at least . . ." Venus murmured as she fell asleep, drifting off into the world of dreams.


	8. Chapter 8 - The New Attitude

Donatello was in his lab working on a new project that he'd been working tirelessly on for the last few weeks. He had a cup of coffee positioned next to him that was already down halfway, even though he had gotten it only fifteen minutes ago. Usually he would try to make the cup last longer than that, but for some reason he felt off today, as if something was going to change at any moment. But, surprisingly, that's not what Donnie was so intrigued about. It wasn't the weird feeling of the day, no, it was the secret that Leo had. Now, Donnie usually never teased or questioned his brothers about their secrets, saying that he had his own that he would rather his family never know about. But Leo, ever since he had talked to Splinter, had been acting less, well . . . Leo, than usual.

It had started two weeks ago when Leo had gone out to do his patrol and, since than, he had been more relaxed and happier than usual. He had gotten into less fights with Raph and had agreed to some of Mikey's crazy and wacky ideas at times. Heck, once or twice he had offered to help Donnie out with some of his smaller projects. Donnie, of course needing as much help as possible at times, usually accepted his request without too much thought. But now, as the early hours of the morning came around, he couldn't help but wonder why Leo was so happy. His mind had put it off for so long that it couldn't stop thinking about Leo's new attitude now. And Donnie was more than just frustrated at it, he was pissed off because every time he tried to focus on this project, his mind went back to being curious about Leo's attitude.

It was after Donnie nearly burned himself with his torch that he finally gave up. The purple masked terrapin flopped into his comfortable spin chair, resting his head back as he stared at the ceiling. His mask was furrowed as he thought about what Leo was so happy about. It was obviously a recurring thing, saying that every night when Leo came back from patrol he was enthusiastic. So this was obviously occurring out on patrol when he was alone . . . wait! Donnie stood up suddenly, sending the chair rolling towards the far wall. The brainiac started to pace, unable to stop as he started to piece together the puzzle pieces.

"Leo comes back every night feeling happy and energetic. And we've all started patrolling different parts of the city to make it faster and much simpler for everyone, but we're always in a safe kind of distance in case anyone gets into any trouble. And two weeks ago he was talking to Sensei about meeting someone . . . no way . . ." Donnie breathed out, barely taking another breath before he had bolted across the room to get a planning sheet. He put down all the information he had just recited onto the paper, making a diagram to help his brain understand more and more about his theory. Once it was completed it looked more complicated than it probably should have been, but it was completed. His red eyes scanned his work, his mind making sense of everything as the gears in his head turned faster and faster. With every discovery he found in his work he grew closer and closer to the answer, but he couldn't get it. Because there was one piece missing from his giant puzzle. If this was all real or if he was over-exaggerating.

"I can only guess this is right. But how do I make sure that this is or isn't correct? I can't just blatantly walk up to Leo and ask him if what I figured out was correct. He'll get suspicious and think I've been eavesdropping on his conversations and watching him like a hawk." Donnie said, scratching the back of his neck before writing something he had forgotten to put onto the paper. He had no clue as to how he was going to wrangle this information out of his eldest brother . . . but then it hit him! If Leo really did meet someone else than where would they meet? Was there a specific part of the city or did they communicate with each other? Wait a second, communicating! Leo's T-Phone! If Donnie could find some way to get Leo's phone, than maybe he could take a sneak peak into his Contacts and see if there was anyone new! It wasn't a full-proof plan, no plan ever was, but it was the best plan Donnie had at the moment. And oh was he definitely going through with it.

 **~ An Hour Later ~**

Splinter had told everyone that training was going to start around this time, so Donnie and his other three brothers were now sparring in the Dojo at 6:30 in the morning. It wasn't unusual to them, but Donnie was a lot more tired than everyone else, so he did have a disadvantage. However, that disadvantage was greatly reduced by Donnie and his "full-proof" plan as he had put it. Right after training, Donnie was going to "accidentally" bump Leo near the stairs. There would be a small scuffle and, during that time, Donnie was going to sneak Leo's phone out of his pocket. If this worked Leo was sure to be mad, but it would be worth Donatello being able to focus again. If that didn't work and he was caught by Leonardo, than Donnie would merely say he thought he had seen Leo's screen cracked and was going to try and fix it. Not the best excuse, but it was better than Leo's death glare . . . that glare was very unsettling, alright?

It took a good two hours before Master Splinter finally ended their sparring sessions. The brothers were released to do as they wished for their time until patrol, which wasn't until that night. That gave Donnie the perfect time to try and get Leo's phone. However, the brainiac didn't get the chance. As soon as Splinter left the brothers to leave, Leo had put his Katanas away and rushed to his room without talking to anyone. Mikey didn't pay much attention and Raph just shrugged it off, but Donnie found that some of the most suspicious activity Leo had ever done in the brothers' lives. As soon as he got the chance Donnie was back in his lab, sitting in his chair, pondering and wondering what was up with Leo. Whatever it was, it was definitely something that Donnie wanted to know, and he wanted to know it _now_.

 **~ Leonardo ~**

 _Crap, Donnie noticed something!_ Leo thought as he sparred off with the geeky brother. Katana met Bo-Staff as Donnie swung at his older brother, Leo defending himself and jumping back before taking offense and attacking instead. Leo watched Donnie with curiosity as the red eyes of his geeky brother stared straight into his stormy blue eyes. Donnie's eyes had this gleam to them that made Leo shiver, but that also sent the leader a warning: someone had noticed his weird attitude. Leo attacked again, Donnie defending the blow, but being pushed back by it at the same time. The purple masked turtle stumbled for a moment before recovering and attacking, the Naginata of the Bo-Staff popping out of it's end. Leo did a side-dodge and attacked from behind, hitting the back of Donnie's shell with his own, putting enough strength behind it to make the taller one stumble forward.

"Yame!" Splinter shouted into the Dojo. Immediately the four brothers came before their father/teacher and sat on their knees in a formal matter, looking up at Splinter with blank faces. Donnie was panting and Raph had sweat lining his features. Mikey was fidgeting, not really enjoying sitting on his knees after such an exercise like that. Leo, aside from Mikey, was the only one who showed no tiredness and difference from when the training had started besides a bit of sweat on his forehead. Splinter watched his sons for a moment, judging by their appearance what would need improvement and what could be left alone. Training was done, yes, but by the looks from his sons, Splinter could tell who had a harder and more stressed workout than everyone else, meaning that they needed more training in a certain area. "You may all go." Splinter finally said, turning away and walking to his room.

The brothers all sighed in relief, some of their muscles aching from the excessive exercises and sparring matches they had done. Leo took this opportunity and bolted into action as he jumped up, put his Katanas away, and ran to his room before his brothers could talk to him and whatnot. He quickly closed his door and sat on his bed before pulling out his phone, checking his messages. Sure enough, Venus had texted him after he had started training, which explained the vibrating he had felt on his shell when he was sparring off with his brothers. He texted her back, becoming more comfortable on his bed as he texted the turquoise masked kunoichi. Leo was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, his phone in front of him as he and Venus chatted.

Ever since Leonardo had met Venus two weeks ago, he and the kunoichi had been meeting up for his patrol at various places to ensure that no one would follow them. They spent his patrolling together, enjoying the little time they had with one another before, at the end of patrol, they left for their own homes. They texted each other during the day and where they would meet before they left for the night, enjoying each other's company. They had turned into good friends for many reasons, many of them being the fact that they had a lot more in common than they had formerly imagined. Leo enjoyed her company, saying that there weren't many others he could talk to besides the little circle he had surrounded his life in: his brothers, Master Splinter, the Mighty Mutanimals, April, and Casey. His brothers had been with him his whole life, and he did depend on them for many things, but family members needed a break from each other more than many thought, especially siblings. Master Splinter was someone Leo could talk to, but he never wanted to burden his father with worry, or be reprimanded for something his father might not agree with. He knew Splinter agreed with Leo's choice to have Venus as a friend, maybe an ally one day, but he wanted this to be his own thing. Leo had never truly trusted the Mighty Mutanimals with any type of secret, so they were out of the picture. Casey could never keep a secret and was beyond the definition of a blabber-mouth, and Leo had never liked him much anyway. April had her own secrets and Leo had never cared much for talking with her. He still cared for her as if she were a sister, no doubt, but he only trusted her with a few secrets that weren't really secret anyway. Besides, Leo needed someone to talk to and go to for teenage advice and to talk to anyway, and Venus was, for one, a teenager, and for second, she understood him more than anyone else did, and vice versa.

It took a few good minutes before Leo came out of his room, his phone present in his back pocket as if it were another limb on his body. Mikey was watching TV like he normally did, Raph was casually reading a comic book, and Donnie was cooped up in his lab. It was a normal day after training with nobody confronting Leo about his new attitude and behavior. Leo sighed inwardly at this, having feared the fact that his brothers, Donnie in the most, would have suspected his behavior of leaving the Dojo so quickly as odd. Leo realized than that Donnie was usually suspicious when his brothers behaved differently, and the leader presumed that he may be at the top of the list, saying that he was always calm and collected, and that he had now become energetic and abnormal to his normal behavior and ways.

"Maybe a little meditation could help me." Leo thought aloud, making his way back to his room. Usually, the royal blue masked terrapin would meditate in the Dojo, but right now he just wanted some time alone to himself to think. What he was going to think about, or needed to think about, he had no clue, but he still needed to clear his mind nonetheless. It was all jumbled up and cramped, and the stress from him being a leader, even if he had someone to talk to, was only making it worse. He sighed and went into his room, locking the door softly behind him so he could have his privacy. Inside his room, he pulled out some candles and an incense stand and incense, placing them in a circle around where he was going to sit. He placed a sky blue cushion in the center of the circle, lighting the candles and incense before sitting on the cushion on his knees, his hands placed on his thighs. Leonardo sighed and closed his eyes, his breathing becoming even as he cleared his thoughts and meditated in the silence of his room.

 **~ Donatello ~**

"So, that plan failed. I guess I'll have to think of something else." Donnie mused to himself, looking over his failed plan. He hadn't put in the possibility of Leo realizing his intentions, but it had confirmed Donnie's suspicions that Leo was hiding something. What his eldest brother was hiding, Donnie had no clue, but when he found out, well, that was yet to come. Donnie chuckled quietly to himself as he reminisced in all the times he had investigated his brothers when he had grown suspicious of them. There just always seemed to be something off that Donnie had found peculiar during that time, and his mind had grown too curious for him to ignore. The purple masked terrapin wasn't one to intrude on his brothers often, but when he did he had his own reason for it, be it concerning their health, an injury, or because they were acting peculiar. It was just Donnie being Donnie. Now, though, he was more than curious. He was intrigued, and if Donnie didn't get his answer soon, he felt he wouldn't last against his minds curiosity.

"Hey Donnie! What's up bro?"

The purple masked turtle jumped at the sound of Mikey's voice. His head snapped to the lab doors and, sure enough, standing in the wide open doorway, was the youngest of the brothers. The orange masked turtle had a grin on his face, his baby blue eyes shining with the fun and free spirit that was Michelangelo. Donnie sighed and put away his plan, instead taking out a blue print and a few writing utensils. If he alerted his other two brothers of his suspicion towards Leo, than there was no doubt that they would only get in the way of him trying to crack Leo's secret. However, Mikey didn't leave, instead he walked over to where the brainiac was working, looking at Donnie's blueprints. The two stood there for a little bit, Mikey distracting Donnie with questions that, to the geeky brother, were simple and shouldn't have needed explaining. Then again, his brothers didn't exactly match the IQ that Donnie possessed, so he would have to deal with it regardless. It took only a few minutes before the purple masked ninja became fed up with the youngest brothers questions.

"OMG Mikey! What do you need?!" Donnie snapped, eyeing the short turtle in frustration. Mikey looked at Donnie, startled for a moment. He gave the tallest brother a confused look, obviously not getting what Donnie was so upset about. The purple masked terrapin sighed and tried again, asking his question in a calmer fashion than before. The small turtle seemed to get the question that time, having been able to listen instead of being startled from his constant stream of questions.

"Oh! Right! I wanted to talk to you about something." Mikey said, looking over Donnie's blueprints again with little interest and, after a few good seconds, dubbing them too hard for his "intelligent" mind. Donnie raised an eye ridge at the way the youngest dismissed his work, chuckling inwardly at how Mikey was always considered the smartest in his little realm . . . and Dimension X. And, on the occasion, Michelangelo did have his smart moment that impressed his family thoroughly. However, those were rare anyway, so it was no wonder they were always impressed. Donnie, seeing that Mikey wasn't continuing, gestured for him to do so, the innocent one getting the notice. "Well, have you noticed how Leo's been acting lately? I wanted to say something to Raph, but that would probably only start problems or something like that."

Donnie stared at Mikey, dumbfounded. So he hadn't been the only person to notice the leader's strange behavior. That was something that only proved to the brainiac that his theory was more right than wrong. Now, he just needed to get Leo's phone, but, there was a problem: Mikey knew. And Mikey wanted to know if Donnie had noticed the eldest brother's strange behavior . . . he didn't know if he should lie or tell the truth to the party animal. If Donnie told Mikey the truth, than the youngest brother would probably want to know why, which would lead him to stick around with Donnie and find out. Mikey could be of use in his plan, but he might also be something of a downfall if the plan went wrong. It was easy to get information out of Michelangelo, saying it only took a little bit of bribing or a little bit of threatening, depending on who it was. If he lied he wouldn't get in so much trouble, but at the same time it might be a downfall to not have someone there to help him out. It was a tough decision indeed, one Donnie hadn't been prepared to answer. And one he didn't know if he wanted to answer.


	9. Chapter 9 - Deceived Kunoichi's

Tigerclaw growled as he paced his room. It was small, but the tiger kept it nice and neat for his own reasons and for just plain cleanliness. The picture on his wall was straight, his bed was well-made, his extra clothes were folded neatly and set in his dresser nicely, and his weapons were placed in a large case that was usually always tucked under his bed, which is where it was at this present moment. The mutant tiger was not in his usual calm mood, but instead infuriated at his own master. He had been just about disgraced by The Shredder when, in all reality, it had been his fault that the female turtle had gotten away in the first place.

"I should not have been blamed. Shredder was the one who made us lose the female turtle and he goes and blames it on me. If he were truly a good master, than he would know when to take responsibility." TigerClaw growled, clenching his right paw until he heard his knuckles crackle and pop. His eyes were slits as he eyed the picture on the wall above his bed: It was a picture of a cherry blossom tree, standing right in front of the well-known volcano known as Mt. Fuji. He stared at it, his heart easing somewhat at the serene picture, at the way the artist had truly captured the beauty of Mother Nature and the beauty that lay in Japan. He stared at if for a little while longer before sighing. He looked at his bedside clock and felt his heart sink more as he realized that it was time to go search for the female turtle. This time though, it wasn't him leading the mission.

It took a few minutes before TigerClaw reached where Master Shredder usually resided. It was filled with Foot Soldiers and Shredder's henchmen. Shredder himself was sitting on his throne, looking over the group and seeing that everyone was there. However, there was one thing that was off . . . Shredder was wearing something that wasn't his metal suit, and that something was what looked like a ruined business outfit. What made this more intriguing was that Shredder wasn't wearing his metal helmet at all, showing his burn marks and his blind eye clearly to his clan. It was . . . unsettling, to say the least, saying that those burn marks represented what Hamato Yoshi had done, which made TigerClaw wonder sometimes if that was what the Turtles could do. That thought he always pushed aside though, knowing that he needed to focus on the mission or what was at hand instead of letting his mind linger to the consequences of if he lost. Not everyone was there, but it only took a few minutes before they all arrived. The room was packed with too many people, as their wasn't much room to start with.

 _What is Master Shredder doing?_ Tigerclaw wondered, his ears twitching at the sound of idle chatter and people arguing amongst themselves. His attention stayed focused on Oroku Saki, his mind reeling with questions that demanded answers. However, he knew better, knowing that if he asked he wouldn't be answered. He sighed and stared out the window, the full moon meeting his eyesight. It drifted slowly and yet steadily across the night sky, the stars following its path without question. He wondered sometimes, although many thought the idea stupid, that what if there was a time when it was just the stars or just the moon? Or if they were both there, but they weren't in rhythm and moved on their own paths? It seemed unlikely, like a thought that had no real thought, but to TigerClaw it was a question that just couldn't be answered. That, no matter what, would stay as just a thought, an idea, that had no true meaning behind it. He sighed.

His mind, so thoroughly hooked onto the moon and stars, was unaware when Shredder called out to his henchmen and troops. It took him a few seconds before he heard Oroku Saki's booming voice call everyone to attention. The troops lined up in their sections and the henchmen came before Shredder with calm and ease clearly shown in their forms. They stood in a single straight line in front of him, TigerClaw directly in front of him. He eyed the mutant tiger with unease as he sensed the tiger's rage specifically meant for him. He scoffed quietly before turning his attention to the entire unit, watching as they dared not to move and as they stayed perfectly still, their breath quiet as they listened intently to Shredder. He held no pride and admiration for them as he looked out upon them. They had done this so many times and, besides, it was such a basic command that it meant near to nothing in his eyes. There was no need to feel anything for these soldiers, except when they messed up or did something exceptionally admirable, which was uncommon.

"You all know very well about the failed plan to capture the female terrapin, correct?" Shredder asked. He was met with a nod from everyone, but no talking or quiet chattering. His eyes met TigerClaw's for a mere moment and the sense of anger passed between them in an intense stare. A few squirmed where they stood at the fuming aura between the two, uncomfortable at the sudden hate. Shredder averted his eyes and continued, "Due to this failure, I have decided on a different plan that will be carried out by myself and if any of you are to mess up and make this plan go to ruins, than I will personally make sure you receive the most brutal punishment I have! Understood?"

No one dared to disagree as they all nodded in agreement. Shredder smirked evilly, looking out upon his troops and reliving the success of his little plan over and over, again and again. He chuckled quietly as he sensed his victory right in front of him, just waiting and lingering there, just for him. It was only a small plan that would lead to Hamato Yoshi's downfall, that would lead to his victory that he had been craving for so many years. Now, all he needed was for the cooperation of every soldier that was in this room, for the plan to be carried out without a flaw and he would have finally won the war that had lasted for too long.

 **~ Saatchi Sisters ~**

"Are you guys positive that you want to join me on patrol?" Venus questioned her three younger sisters. All three nodded with slightly annoyed expressions. The turquoise masked kunoichi sighed and turned her back to them, retrieving her phone from her back belt pocket and pulling up her Messaging App. If her sisters were coming along than she would have to cancel going on patrol with Leo tonight. Her heart sunk a little at the thought, but there was always tomorrow night . . . as long as her sisters didn't want to join her again. She feared that it might be a recurring thing, but she pushed the thought out of her head, refusing to let it take root and damper her new mood.

Rarity raised a mask ridge at her older sister as she watched her type something into her phone. Rarity wore a fire red mask with the same design as Venus and Maleigha. Her hair, protruding from one spot and fire red like her mask, was put up in a high ponytail. She stood a tad smaller than Venus, but was taller than Maleigha. She had fire red bandaging on her forearms, the middle of her fingers, her thighs and her feet. A slim belt wrapped around her waist with a small sheath attached to it. Rarity wielded the Tanto, a small Samurai blade for close combat. She had Shuriken hidden across her entire body along with the Tanto in the sheath on her belt. On Rarity's right ankle was a golden bracelet that was mildly tight so that it didn't dangle or make her trip in battle. She had emerald green eyes that showed that of love, but a burning hatred as well. She was loving when calm, but also the fiercest of the group when she was angry, making her the muscle/fighter.

Rarity sighed and turned to her younger sister's, her being the second oldest out of the group. Maleigha, the young and energetic little thing that she was had started to talk very fast-paced to their sister, Daniella. The tangerine kunoichi was thrilled to be heading outside once more, to see New York again. The other three sisters had only ever accommodated Venus once and had thereafter never really gone back out. Now, however, they had grown bored of their recurring days inside of the abandoned tower and yearned to go outside again. So, they had asked Venus to go on patrol with her, whom said had fought the suggestion at first, but had given in once she realized they wouldn't be talked out of their idea.

Daniella watched the youngest sister with little interest and large amusement. Daniella was the tallest of the group, standing two inches taller than their eldest sister. Daniella landed between Rarity and Maleigha, making her the third oldest of her sisters. She had a lavender mask with the same mask design as the rest of her sister's. She competed with Venus for the longest hair, saying that her regular ponytail reached down to her knees, the lavender colored hair protruding from one spot as well. She had lavender bandaging on her upper arm, the middle of her forearm, the palms of her hands, her calves and her feet. She wore a belt around her waist and had a shoulder strap that looped around to reconnect to the back of the belt. Their was a sheath for her weapon on the strap on her back. Her weapon was a Kanabo, which resembled that of a thinned baseball bat, but with spikes covering the upper surface in straight lines, the spikes stopping about halfway down. Daniella had refashioned the spikes to come out at the click of a hidden button inside the handle so that the Kanabo could be placed in its sheath without shredding it first. She wore a black silk necklace that, in the center, held a small opal diamond, held onto the necklace by a small ring of strong metal. Daniella had, along with the rest of herself, lavender eyes that had the desire to explore and create, making her the inventor/scientist.

Venus listened to her sisters behind her, sighing again, quietly, at the night that lay before them. While Venus was worried about her sisters, she wasn't worried about her sisters being unable to defend themselves. For as long as she could remember, she knew that her and her three younger sisters had trained ever day in the art of Ninjitsu, going from that of Ninjas-In-Training to Full-Fledged Kunoichi's after many years. Even still, it is crucial for a Ninja and/or a Kunoichi to keep their body physically fit and their skills as sharp as possible, so as not to be easily defeated may a battle arise. No, it wasn't that she was worried they couldn't defend themselves, she was worried that they could be easily sidetracked or lost or even deceived. That was what made everything even worse in her mind: being deceived. One of the most famous aspects of a Kunoichi is that they were deceitful. Female ninja were and still are known to be deceiving, to lure an enemy or "victim" in with whatever aspect the person would like, but for the Kunoichi to suddenly strike the unsuspecting person in one deadly and swift motion. While there are many other ways for a Kunoichi to be deceitful than just this one, this one is the most commonly used and remembered of the female ninja. However, Kunoichi's are not immune to that of deception. They can be easily deceived as well, and Venus's younger sisters are prime examples. They could be easily lured and talked into something, which is what Venus feared, as they had only been out into New York's streets and rooftops once, so they had no clue what to expect other than what they had previously encountered, which wasn't much at all.

"Alright, let's get this over with." Venus murmured as she turned to face her younger sisters. She studied them, watching as they acted like they usually did when they weren't busy with another thing. She smiled softly, unable to hide the fact that she enjoyed seeing her sisters so calm and stress-free. Being a humanoid turtle came with many a price, one of them being that the human race attacked what it could not understand. One thing humans couldn't understand was how a reptile that usually walked on all fours, was slow, had a shell and was more attuned to water, could also share the traits, mind and body of that of a human. Since they couldn't they usually trapped any type of mutant, turtle or not, and shipped them off to Scientists' and Researchers' for that mutant to be killed, dissected, experimented on and whatever more horrors anything could be exposed to. Venus shivered at the thought, worry overtaking her mind as she realized, if her sisters' were deceived, that they may be the next "lucky" mutant to be shipped off to some lab that they would never come out from. The turquoise masked kunoichi sighed when she remembered that her sisters' would not be talked out of participating on patrol with her.

Venus cleared her throat, grabbing the attention of Rarity, Daniella and Maleigha. "Alright. If you guys are ready then let's go. Patrols are meant to be rigorous and yet quick, so always keep your guard up and don't get distracted too easily by anything that looks, er . . . interesting." Venus explained, standing straight and using a harsh voice to ensure that she got her point across to her sisters. Daniella and Maleigha nodded while Rarity smirked. Venus sighed as she realized what was about to occur.

"Aw, c'mon Ms. Sassy. Enough with the lecture. It's not like we can't defend ourselves in the big bad world and all its scary humans and mutants!" Rarity teased, mimicking that of a small child looking around in humorous fright. Daniella and Maleigha couldn't help but burst into laughter at her tease, while Venus looked like she was about to blow a fuse. Quite frankly, Venus was fed up with the night and it hadn't even begun yet! She crossed her arms, gritting her teeth in frustration, her knuckles cracking as she turned them into fists as auburn eyes stared at Rarity with a fiery rage. It was well-known between the Saatchi Sisters' that Venus and Rarity had very different opinions and mindsets, so fights between the two weren't uncommon. If anything, they were daily, popping up in the most unlikely times and lasting for God knows how long.

"Alright then. If you think you can defend yourself, then prove it! I'd like to see you do half of the crap I do in one night while you stay here and sit on your shell! Quite frankly I'm fed up with you and how you've been treating everyone for the past two weeks!" Venus spouted, her auburn eyes dilated and burning with flames. Rarity immediately stopped, a glare setting over her once mocking and childish features. Emerald green eyes flashed as a warning, one which the turquoise kunoichi didn't even consider. This only angered Rarity more as the fire red kunoichi came to stand face-to-face with her older sister, neither kunoichi moving for the other.

"If you haven't noticed, for these past two weeks you've been disappearing every night, coming home almost right when the sun comes up and barely saying a thing! Yeah, I'm going to be angry and mocking, especially saying that you're barely apart of this family anymore!" Rarity spat back, her eyes glinting with the force of thousands of volts of lightning.

"Maybe because what I see out there is something I don't want to share! Trust me, some of the mutants I've encountered are so horrendous that even thinking about them makes my stomach churn! Coming home at a certain time is none of your business, Rarity! You're not my guardian, you don't make my curfew and you for sure as hell are not my mother!" Venus countered, auburn eyes burning like wild flames as she stared, unwavering, at her younger sister. By now the turquoise kunoichi was getting fed up, especially saying that she had been working hard to make sure that her and her sisters' had food on the table and lives to live. One of the only ways any of them were eating was because Venus had a small Green Room in the house, specifically for vegetables and fruits only. However, being that the girls were all part human, meat wasn't exactly an essential, neither was milk or eggs, but they had slight cravings and digestive needs for those specific types of foods. Venus, being the Lone Wolf, had somehow started to get paid for what she was doing. Albeit it wasn't much and none of the girls' had expected it, but it helped when getting the other necessary foods that they needed. Usually it was Venus or Daniella who did the shopping in human-like disguises, but Rarity had done it once or twice. Maleigha was never trusted with shopping. Knowing the young tangerine kunoichi, she would try to buy up so many sweets and unnecessary items that it would be ridiculous. Not to mention that Venus was the only one making sure she got paid to keep her sisters' from starving.

"Ya' know, you may be older than me by a few minutes, but that doesn't give you the right to do what you're doing and not give your younger sisters' an explanation as to why! That doesn't seem fair now, does it?" Rarity countered once more, refusing to back down although she knew her older sister was right and that she may be in the wrong. It didn't matter though! Venus had been doing all these weird and crazy things and Rarity thought that they all deserved some type of explanation as to why. Ever since the sisters were little they had never kept secrets' from each other. Not one! Yet now Venus, the one who went out on patrol every single night, even if it did pay, was keeping secrets' about what lurked beyond the metal door her three sisters had been behind ever since they were all ten. Rarity watched her older sisters eyes, noting the worriment and distress that radiated from those auburn orbs. The fire red kunoichi softened the slightest, her own distress' coming to mind. Rarity knew that Venus worked her shell off day and night to keep her sisters' happy and fed, but it wore down on Venus like a giant boulder on her back.

"Rarity, I don't care by this point. I'm doing what I can to keep this family afloat. If you want to prove you can do better than you can do it tonight on patrol. This conversation is over." Venus concluded, walking to the door, opening it with a mighty force of energy, and down the stairs of the abandoned communication tower. Rarity growled under her breath, emerald green eyes glinting with too many emotions to consider, but followed the leader of the group anyway. Daniella and Maleigha, whom had been watching from the sidelines, gave each other a worried glance before following their older sisters into the crisp night of September.

Venus led her sisters' across the rooftops of New York, the moon and streetlamps their lights. All four had donned cloaks to conceal to the human world what they looked like, should they ever have to chase a mutant through the street. However, Venus was hoping to the moon and stars that they wouldn't encounter anyway, or anything, this very night. After all, she was worried about her sisters' and their problem of deception. Already, Venus could tell that Maleigha was hearing other noises that weren't original to their tower and the look on the youngest sisters face conveyed the undying want to go and see what those noises were. Rarity was just as shocked, saying that the youngest three had only ever seen the Big Apple from the windows Daniella had installed in the tower. Daniella, well, it was more obvious than Maleigha. Daniella, being the brainiac that she was, wanted to explore and see a few things she had never had the chance to see. The city was enticing to them, to say the least.

Suddenly, a noise even Venus couldn't ignore, rung out from the alleyway below them. Venus gave the signal for them to stop on the rooftop ledge to investigate what was going on, her three sisters lining up next to her to see. It was a man, Venus speculated. He didn't look injured and there was no scuffle going on, so whatever had happened had probably been the guy knocking something over. The turquoise kunoichi sighed, standing up and letting go of the handle of her sword. "Alright. Nothing's going on. It's probably just some guy who got lost after going to the bar. There are plenty of people that do it every night. Let's get moving." Venus ordered, jumping onto the next rooftop, waiting for her sisters' to join her. But they didn't. Venus's heart seemed to beat faster as she watched them. The looks on their faces' weren't that of surprise or curiosity. It was those of worriment. They had noticed something she had not. Venus sighed and looked down once more, but what she was met with had her realizing why her sisters' hadn't moved.

The man looked like he was in a tattered suit and had one side of his face, the right side, completely burned. His right eye was supposedly blind, being dull and bloodshot. Venus felt a tinge of guilt for the man, but something felt off about him. He didn't seem to be in any immediate danger or anything and yet, when Venus felt like maybe they should help, if even the slightest, her logical side pulled her back. There was something dark about him, something Venus couldn't pinpoint, and for some reason it was from one of the conversations that she had shared with Leonardo. Her eyes narrowed, the gears of her mind turning as she tried to find any type of source from their conversations that could tell her what was going on. Her mind was drawn away when, without warning, Rarity jumped into the alleyway, followed by her sisters'.

"Wait! You're not supposed to . . . ugh!" Venus whisper-yelled, annoyance at her side as her sisters' disobeyed her direct order. _Whatever happened to listening to the leader?!_ Venus screamed in her head as she jumped down to join her siblings in the alleyway. The moment she landed she shot an angered glance at her sisters' before turning her attention to the man in front of them. His attention had turned to them, his eyes bleary and unfocused, as he scanned the four cloaked figures before him. Venus watched him closely as she scanned the conversations between her and Leo once more. Something still wasn't right and getting even closer to this man had, for some reason, sent chills racing up her spine. Why Venus's sisters' didn't get that warning, she had no clue, but what she did know was that she wanted to get as far away from him as possible, dragging her sisters' if she had to.

"You four . . . have you come . . . to help me?" The man asked, lifting his head and upper body to get a clear view at the figures. Venus didn't reply and when Maleigha tried to, the oldest sister clamped a hand over her mouth. Rarity shot Venus a suspicious look, Daniella shot her a worried one, and yet Venus didn't care. If anyone was going to be doing the talking it was going to be the sister who knew the threats and deceptions of New York City: Venus.

"In a sense. My team and I wanted to know if you were hurt, if you needed any assistance at all." Venus replied, trying as hard as she could to keep the venom out of her voice. The man eyed her, a realization coming into his eyes that only Venus noticed, before he stood up. Albeit, he was shaky doing it, but he did.

"Well, if that is the case, than you needn't have worried about me. I have 'guards'." The man replied, snapping his fingers. Immediately, soldiers and mutants surrounded the four sisters' in less than seconds. By instinct, the small team pulled out their weapons, stances telling those around them they were more than prepared for a fight.

"So, how about we start listening now?!" Venus whisper-yelled to her sisters' as she scanned those around her. That's when she spotted him: the tiger from an encounter she had two weeks ago. She turned as serious as she possibly could, auburn eyes burning with anger. He had led a team that had tried to capture her, knowing that she was a female turtle by some mysterious reason. The memory burned through her mind . . . and that's what reminded her of who the man was. Leo had described him, at one point. He had told her who he was and what his goal was, that he was a man that should never be underestimated. Venus had suddenly realized why the chill had run up her spine when she got close to the man. Now, more than ever, she wanted to get her sisters' away from him.

"I should inform you to not worry. They won't do anything to you unless I say. But . . . it seems I do need some help, if you would." The man asked, as TigerClaw and Rahzar flanked either side of him. Venus watched him carefully, a growl deep in her throat threatening to rise.

"What exactly happened to you? I mean . . . your face . . . you know . . ." Maleigha questioned, pointing to the right side of her face to indicate what she meant.

"Maleigha!" Daniella whisper-yelled as Rarity bopped the youngest on the side of her head. Venus just rolled her eyes on all three, wondering exactly why this was a thing.

"It's fine. Actually, this scar was given to me very recently and is the reason I ask for your help." The man replied, stepping forward towards the team. Venus's eyes narrowed. "These . . . mutants have destroyed me. I used to be greatness, I used to do so much for this world, but then these ruffian mutants came along! They took down my soldiers and burned my face, threw me to the ground and took everything I had. I ask for your assistance in taking them down." The man proclaimed, using hand gestures to get his point across.

"Who exactly are these 'mutant ruffians'?" Rarity questioned, her stance loosening. _They can't seriously be believing this!_ Venus thought. _Oh, wait. They can._ She answered herself.

"They were mutant turtles. Male turtles from what I could tell. I know their surname, if that should help. They are known as the Hamato Brothers'." The man stated. At this, Venus couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"Liar!" Venus proclaimed, auburn eyes burning with rage. Immediately, TigerClaw drew his blade. At the same moment, Venus immediately aimed hers at TigerClaw's throat, the tip of her blade barely touching his fur. The soldiers around the sisters' readied themselves for a fight, eyeing Venus, expecting her to attack. "Try me, kitty. I am NOT in the mood!" Venus hissed, digging the blade into TigerClaw's neck only enough so that it wouldn't draw blood.

"You are one to talk, female turtle." The man said, making Venus's sisters' hit a realization: their oldest sister knew these people. It was another secret she had kept from her sisters', and the three weren't exactly happy about it.

"Venus, step down." Rarity ordered, emerald green eyes staring at her older sister with disgust. Venus was shocked, to say the least. Her sisters' were willing to listen to strangers' instead of family?! Venus, however, stepped down, pulling her hood on even more. TigerClaw stepped back, sword replaced in its sheath as a smirk spread across his lips. Rarity stepped in front of Venus, shooting her older sister a outraged glare before turning her attention to the man in front of her. "We'll help you, as long as you can provide the information." Rarity replied, Daniella and Maleigha coming to stand behind her.

The man smiled, evil hidden behind such a "kind" look. "I thank you. Trust me. I shall be able to provide more than information for you." He replied, his one good eye gleaming with malice that the three younger sisters' could not see. He glanced back at Venus, meeting her eyes as she glared at him with millions of fires burning in her eyes.

Venus could do nothing but follow. Her sisters' would learn soon enough how wrong they were and how important it was to trust family instead of strangers'. She was angry, not just at the man before them, but at her own siblings. Who wouldn't be? After everything she had done, they had went and shunned her from her position as both the older sister and leader and trusted those who should never be trusted. And since everyone around Venus was against her, Venus could do nothing but follow.

The man and his soldiers led the four sisters' to his lair, his "business place" as he called it, to prepare them for his revenge. As the girls were instructed as to what to do, he told TigerClaw to keep a careful eye on Venus, as to ensure that she wouldn't interfere with his plans, although he knew that her own sisters' didn't even trust her word. The man, Shredder, smiled as his plan to kill of Hamato Yoshi and his pathetic mutant sons was finally coming to pass.


	10. Announcement about Updates and Uploads

**Announcement**

 **September 17, 2017**

Hey Guys!

So, this isn't exactly what you were all probably hoping for, but, after careful consideration, I have made a crucial decision.

So, to start this, my mother has given me a challenge. As a Fanfiction writer I write many stories, but than some are completed and never uploaded due to self-esteem issues, or they are put off for a lengthy period. My mother noticed this and, being a fanfiction author herself, gave me a challenge.

The challenge my mother gave me is that I must complete ONE story series before I can resume writing any others. She gave me this challenge with the intention that I would complete at least one of my series before I continued again. This challenge will also teach me discipline about writing stories and handling such a heavy load of them. I have accepted her challenge.

Hence, accepting the challenge, I have decided on something that may or may not work. I have decided that I won't update any of my currently posted stories until the series I am currently working on has been completed. I will update short stories, or basic teasers, from time to time, but I fear that my page and stories shall slowly start to grow less and less.

I ask for your patience as I work through this challenge. I know many of you don't want this, for those who do read and have taken interest in my stories, but I feel that I won't be able to complete anything otherwise. I'm doing this in hopes that it will benefit those of you who read my stories, as well as myself.

The series I will be completing shall be uploaded one book at a time. So, if I complete one book, I will post it, every chapter of it, so you all may read it. This series is also completely new and is represented off stories I have already uploaded, but will still veer away from them as well. I won't tell you the series title for the act of surprise (obviously), nor the titles of the books until they have been uploaded.

I hope you all will stick with me and stay patient as I journey through this channel, and I thank those of you who understand and/or will stay with me through this. Like I said, I will post little teasers to the books as I go along so I don't completely lose you all.

If you have any further questions you can PM me on FanFiction or you can email at my working author gmail, here:

s:/ / venussattchi15 gmail./com/

I thank you all for taking the time to read this and for your patience!

~Venus Saatchi~


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